By james art STILL DRY, STILL WARM: Birmingham hit 86 degrees on Thursday, tying the record for Oct. 24, last set in 1927. Temperatures return to the mid-80s today and Saturday with good sunshine both days.
A surface front will move south across Alabama on Sunday, and while it may squeeze out an isolated shower or two, most of the state won’t see a drop. Highs will be between 77 and 82 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: Expect drier weather with mostly sunny days, clear nights and high temperatures near 80 degrees most afternoons. Global models suggest the next significant rain for Alabama will come in 10-15 days. Today will be the 27th day in a row without rain for Birmingham.
TROPICS: The Atlantic basin is calm and no tropical storms are expected to form for at least the next seven days. We are seeing signals from global models that a system could potentially form in the Caribbean in early November. If something is forming there, it’s too early to know where it’s going or the intensity.
FOOTBALL TIME: Expect clear skies for tonight’s Alabama high school games with temperatures dropping into the 70s in the first half, reaching the 60s by the fourth quarter.
On Saturday, the annual Magic City Classic begins at 2:30 p.m. at Legion Field in Birmingham (Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M). Skies will be partly to mostly sunny; expect low to mid 80s in the first half, dropping to near 80 degrees by the end of the game.
Alabama hosts Missouri at Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The afternoon in Tuscaloosa will be dry and warm, around 85 degrees in the early going. Temperatures drop into the 70s by the final whistle.
Auburn will travel to Lexington to face Kentucky (6:45 pm CT kickoff). Skies will be mostly clear with temperatures falling from near 62 in the early to mid 50s by the final whistle.
ON THIS DATE IN 1921: A devastating Category 3 hurricane struck near Tarpon Springs, Florida. The storm killed eight people.
ON THIS DATE IN 2017: The high temperature in Denver, Colorado was 84 degrees. By the morning of October 27, the temperature had dropped to 13 degrees, a change from 71 degrees.
For more weather news and information from James Spahn and his team, visit AlabamaWx.