On this date in 1947…The most severe hurricane of the year hurricane struck South Florida. It was the first of two major hurricanes to strike the Sunshine State that year. Meteorologists at the Weather Bureau Forecast Office in Miami unofficially named the hurricane “George,” a practice begun by Pacific meteorologists to distinguish between typhoons. The one minute average wind at Hillsboro Light reached 155 mph, the highest measured in the storm and one of the highest measured in Florida history. The lowest recorded pressure was 27.76 inches at Mayfield, Florida. The hurricane would go on to strike Louisiana two days later. The U.S. Weather Bureau’s warnings were reliable by that time and extensive evacuations in advance of the large and powerful hurricane kept the death toll low. A total of fifty one people died in the storm, including seventeen in Florida, twelve in Louisiana and twenty two in Mississippi.

On this date in 1988...Call it The Hurricane Bowl, or the college football game that didn’t happen. University of Alabama football coach Bill Curry made the decision not to fly the Crimson Tide to College Station, Texas to play Texas A&M as Hurricane Gilbert moved across the Gulf of Mexico. The storm later moved into Mexico. At what would have been game time on Saturday, viewers on ESPN watched as the announcers sat in an empty stadium awash in beautiful blue skies and hot temperatures. The game would eventually be played in December, and Alabama would win. Some accused Coach Curry of using the hurricane as an excuse to delay the game until later in the year because of injuries.

On this date in 2003...A shadow of her former category five self, Hurricane Isabel was still one of the most significant storms to ever strike eastern North Carolina. After being dubbed the “Supercane” by the national media, Isabel fortunately weakened significantly before reaching the East Coast of the United States. Isabel made landfall as a category two hurricane on the North Carolina Outer Banks before crossing into southeastern Virginia. In places like Hatteras Village, where damage was heavy, locals dubbed Isabel “the hurricane with category two winds but category five waves.” Even though the storm’s winds had diminished from the 170 mph estimated on September 11th, powerful waves still battered the coast. Extensive flooding from the storm was reported in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which was several hundred miles away from the point of landfall. Millions were without power for several days across the Mid-Atlantic region. Total storm damage was estimated at $3.4 billion. Sixteen people died in the storm.

At 10 tonight, a band of mostly light showers extended across Extreme North and NW Alabama. Moving SE. Occurring ahead of a "cool front" A few moderate showers included.

A few rainfall reports from today:

0.36 in Northport
1.75 at Moundville (North Hale County)
0.01 at Helena and Riverchase
0.28 at Greystone Cove (North Shelby)
0.81 in Gadsden (3340 WeatherNet site)
0.39 in Demopolis
Trace in Trussville

Based on radar estimates, parts of West Alabama got over two inches.

Bill Murray's Saturday morning discussion will be posted soon...

Not many showers still in progress this evening.

At 7 pm, in North Alabama, the main ones were across the Central and East Tennessee Valley. Strongest one near or north of Hartselle.

Not much going on in Central Alabama. The ones that dumped some heavy rain in West Central Alabama this afternoon are down in SW Alabama, less numerous and weaker.

Driving across Deerfoot parkway a few minutes ago, I saw some of the prettiest thunderstorm tops ever with the setting sun. All colors of pink.

Hope we do well in Rook tonight. Got slaughtered the last two Friday nights.

Woe is me

But it is only a game

Like football...

Life goes on, win or lose.

Here is where the most significant showers are hanging out at 4:30 pm:

* South of Livingston in West Alabama and across North Choctaw and South Marengo County into Wilcox County west of Camden.

* Few storms over NE Alabama including a small but strong one SE of Huntsville.

* Almost all of the showers are gone from the Greater Birmingham area.

Everything moving ESE and SE.

Three rainfall reports:

0.01 at the ABC 33/40 Studios in Riverchase
0.28 at Greystone Cove
Trace in NE Trussville

The 3340 Weather Watcher for Black Creek, Vic Bell, estimates 1/2 inch in downtown Gadsden this aftewrnoon.

At this very hour exactly one year ago, Hurricane Ivan was creating havoc in the Birmingham area:

* He was dumping tons of rain, 8.65 inches in Vestavia Hills

* Water rescues underway despite the extremely dangerous coditions

* Numerous trees were crashing to the ground.

* Howling winds well over 50 mph and probably over 65 mph on the ridges around the area, such as Red Mountain and Shades Mountian

* Wall to wall coverage continued on ABC 33/40 anchored by James Spann, John Oldshue and the news anchors

* I was in the 33/40 weather office broadcasting "wall-to-wall" on WBHK, WBHJ and WAGG

You have any menories you want to share? How was your drive home? How long without power? Any damage to your place?

Please use comment section below, would love to hear from you. Remember, everyone that read the blog can also read your comments.

The more numerous showers and storms, and the heaviest rainfall at 2:45 pm:

* Over Hale, Perry, Bibb, Greene and Sumter County in West Central Alabama moving into Perry and North Marengo County around Demopolis.

* Also, some heavy showers just moved across Calhoun County in East Alabama.

* Up north, a few strong thunderstorms between Florence and Huntsville, moving east.

Most of the Central Alabama storms moving toward the ESE.

Some real nice rainfall amounts today in a number of counties.

More than two inches in some areas, especially West Central Alabama.

Most of the nicer showers giving the Birmingham area a cold shoulder so far.

The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

A logistical note... we have pointed the domains alabamwx.com and birminghamwx.com to this blog... makes it easy to get here if you want to use them.

WETNESS: Wow... I actually had to turn on the windshield wipers coming in from my talk today at the Alpine Baptist Church down in Talladega County. At my place in Shelby County the rain bucket shows 0.28" as I write this note... parts of west Alabama have received much more, but some spots have had no rain at all. See J.B.'s posts here today for the latest on the showers and storms.

WEEKEND: The weekend still looks dry. The models have backed off on the degree of cooling; both the NAM and the GFS shows highs not too far from 90 both tomorrow and Sunday. I still think we get well down in the low 60s early Sunday morning, with some 50s in the cooler valleys.

NEXT WEEK: Dry and very warm for most of next week as high pressure aloft takes over. Nights will be pleasant.

THE LONG RANGE: Nice to see the 12Z GFS bring the long wave trough over the eastern U.S. more to the south at the end of the month; that gives us renewed hope for a nice shot of cooler air around the first of October. Unfortunately, not many opportunities for rain for Alabama during the latter half of the month.

TROPICS: Ophelia is moving northeast just off the Atlantic coast... it will brush Cape Cod over the weekend and then finally will be long gone.

Two systems to watch farther out in the Atlantic basin...

One is northeast of Puerto Rico. The GFS continues to show a track westward across the southern tip of Florida, the southern Gulf of Mexico, and into the Mexican coast in about 5 to 6 days. If this track is correct it will not be an issue for the central Gulf coast.

The other wave is about 500 miles east of the Windward Islands. The models have shifted south, and take this into the Caribbean and toward Hispaniola early next week. This might be a problem down the road for our friends down in south Florida.

We will watch both of them closely in coming days. The hurricane season is far from over.

Thanks to the senior adults down at Alpine Baptist Church today... two very nice cakes to take home! That church was established in 1832 and is the oldest church in Talladega county. A beautiful building in a very peaceful place.

Have a great weekend... spend some time with your family and have a few laughs together.

A broad band of showers and thunderstorms was moving SE this afternoon through North central and Central Alabama.

They extended all the way across the state from Pickens, Sumter and Lamar County in West Alabama to Cherokee and Etowah County in the east.

Places getting some of the heavier rain at 1:20 pm included:

* Cherokee and Etowah County
* North Bibb County
* West Tuscaloosa County
* North Hale County
* Greene and Sumter County

Most of the heavier showers seemed to be bypassing the immediate Birmingham area.

In North Shelby County, 0.28 at fallen at Greystone Cove by 1:15 pm (report from James Spann)

Everything was moving toward the SE

There were some more heavy showers and storms over East Mississippi. These will move into West Alabama's Lamar, Pickens and Sumter Counties.

Parts of West Alabama over two inches so far today

Those strong thunderstorms that moved from East Mississippi into West Alabama's Lamar County several hours ago have now migrated across parts of Fayette and SW Walker County into North Tuscaloosa County.

They are now moving more toward the SE than east. At 12:30 pm, the strongest storms were over North and NE Tuscaloosa County, mostly NE of the Northport-Tuscaloosa area.

They will be moving into East Tuscaloosa County and SW Jefferson County. Places like Oak Grove and Tannehill State Park. Lighter amounta of rain for the rest of Jefferson County.

Moderate to heavy showers also moving across Etowah County in NE Alabama.

Off to the west, more numerous showers and some thunderstorms over East Mississippi, will spread into West Alabama's Lamar, Pickens and Sumter counties.

Based on radar estimates, well over two inches of rain has fallen from these storms in parts of Fayette county and nearly that much in North and Central Lamar County.

That cluster of strong thunderstorms, over Lamar County earlier, is now over Fayette County.

The strongest thunderstorms were in the Fayette-Bankston area and moving toward Berry which is in SE Fayette County.

The eastward track will bring the thunderstorms into South Walker County, and possibly Extreme North Tuscaloosa County later.

Over on the otherside of the state, some moderate to heavy showers, and some thunderstorms, over Dekalb and Cherokee County.

Everything moving generally east.