Nice rain event for Central Alabama - actually all of Alabama - with three-quarters to over two and a half inches recorded in the soaking event yesterday. Rain is long gone this morning, but the clouds are sticking around. I don't expect those clouds to be with us all day, but they could limit the sun in some locations and play havoc with afternoon highs. Plus it is going to be quite breezy out there today with a brick northwest wind at 10 to 20 mph, so be cautious if your plans take you out on the river or lake today.

Also, don't forget to set those clock back tonight when you head for bed. This is the last weekend in October and time to go back on standard time. We get to recover the lost hour of sleep we gave up last April.

Weather improves with a great day in store for Central Alabama on Sunday with lots of sunshine and highs climbing to near the 70 degree mark. And the wind should be much reduced.

Good weather stays with us on Monday, but Tuesday we see another front approach from the northwest. As the upper air flow becomes more westerly, the front will have a hard time making it very far south. I expect to see the front approach the area Tuesday night but become stationary on Wednesday and gradually wash out. This makes the late Tuesday to Wednesday the next time frame for some precipitation in Central Alabama. Right now it looks like amounts will be light, and I think we should be able to get in much of the trick or treating with dry conditions.

Thursday and Friday we cool off a bit with morning lows in the 40s and afternoon highs in the 60s, but it is expected to be dry. And at the moment the next weekend should be dry - at least until late Sunday.

Headed out once again today for a safety event up in Hamilton in Marion County at the invitation of the EMA Director, Matt McCracken. Looking forward to seeing the folks there and chatting about severe weather safety. After all, we are only a few days from the beginning of the secondary severe weather season in Alabama that runs roughly from the first of November to the middle of December. I hope you have a great weekend and God bless.

-Brian-

A cold front continues steadily eastward across North and Central Alabama late this afternoon. It was accompanied by a broken and irregular line of showers. The atmosphere became more unstable with those but not enough to cause a serious problem.

At 5 pm, the line was from near Guntersville down to near Oneonta, to east of Birmingham to near Columbiana to about Clanton.

Even down in Extreme SE Alabama, most of the heavier showers have moved out.

While the large mass of rain that covered Alabama this morning has moved on to the east, a new line of showers and storms is forming from Decatur to Jasper as I write this around 3:00 p.m. Another cluster of showers is over far eastern Tuscaloosa County. We now have positive CAPE over much of Central Alabama, and SPC has mentioned some risk of severe storms for the next couple of hours as a surface trough passes through. The Birmingham dewpoint is up to 67 (downtown at our SKYCAM site atop the Daniel Building), and there are some breaks in the overcast. We will watch the storms that form closely since there is a very healthy degree of vertical wind shear right now.

Showers and storms will end this evening as the trough moves on to the east, and low clouds will cover most of the state overnight. Some drizzle will be possible in spots, but no additional measurable rain is expected beyond 8:00 p.m.

THE WEEKEND: The sky should become partly sunny tomorrow, although clouds could linger much of the day in some sections of Northeast Alabama. Sunday still looks like a beautiful day with ample sunshine and a high at or just over 70.

NEXT WEEK: Our dry forecast for the trick or treaters might be in danger; the GFS is now hinting at a band of showers and storms moving into Northwest Alabama Tuesday afternoon; some of those might reach us Tuesday evening. We will continue to mention a chance of showers Wednesday; much cooler air returns to the state by the end of the week. For now the rain event during the middle of next week does not look like anything that would bring a severe weather or really heavy rain event to Alabama. But, as always we will keep an eye on things.

QUICK RAIN TOTALS: Here are some quick rain totals from our SKYCAM network:

Gadsden 1.47"
Mt. Cheaha 1.41"
Birmingham 1.31"
Jasper 1.01"
Riverchase 0.96"
Inverness 0.81"

PRIME TIME: Don't forget to watch our prime time special, "A Decade Of Alabama Weather" Sunday from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m. on ABC 33/40. We will look back at the 10 year history of the ABC 33/40 weather operation, and you will re-live all of the big weather events we have covered!

Brian Peters will have the videos for you over the weekend... don't forget to set your clocks BACK one hour tomorrow night as we go back on standard time. Yep, an extra hour of sleep!

While most of the heaviest rain and strongest storms have shifted down into SE Alabama, a new line of showers has developed over West and North Alabama.

At 3:30, this new line was along the Huntsville-Jasper-Tuscaloosa-Demopolis line. Moving east.

So far, nothing strong in this but the air is fairly unstable over West and NW Alabama so a few thunderstorms could form.

For a time, in SE Alabama, a Tornado Warning was posted for South Bullock and East Pike County.

Another rainfall amount not previously reported...33/40 Skywatcher Jason Reed reports 1.26 inches in South Trussville today.

OCEAN SPRINGS
Scott McClellan, our contact in Ocean Springs on the Mississippi Coast reports an additional 3.01 inches of rain today bringing the October total to a very impressive 10.01 inches...

Even most of the rain has shifted over into Extreme East and SE Alabama, there is still some moderately unstable air over West Central and NW Alabama. A few storms could develop in that area.

However, the SPC does not expect a watch.

The widespread rain continues to retreat eastward in Alabama. Most areas west of Ft. Payne to Clanton to Thomasville are now getting very little rain. Cooler air will be flowing into the state from the west and there could still be some scattered light rain and drizzle over the north, where the steady rain has already ended.

At 1:40, the heaviest rain in the state was east and south of Montgomery and extending into South-Central Alabama.

A Tornado Watch continues from Baldwin County on the Alabama coast eastward across most of the NW Florida coastal area.

Earlier today in South Mississippi, a possible tornado touched down SW of Purvis. Numerous trees are down in the area. Trees were also uprooted in a number of other locations in South Mississippi and an 18-wheeler was flipped over by high winds three miles south of Kokomo.

Here are a few additional rainfall totals updated through 1 o'clock this afternoon:

0.80 at Birmingham Airport
1.96 at Anniston Airport
1.29 at Shelby County Airport
0.85 at Huntsville
1.74 at Mobile Regional Airport
1.40 at Montgomery Dannelley Field
1.02 at Tuscaloosa Airport

The steady, soaking rain has now ended, or greatly tapered off, over about the NW half of the state. This includes most of the area along and west of a line from Guntersville to Birmingham to Centreville, Marion and Demopolis.

The heaviest rain was over East Central to South Alabama.

As brisk westerly winds come into the state (translation: an eastward moving cold front) low clouds will linger and there may be some light rain or drizzle, including the Birmingham area.

Brian Peters reports 0.80 of n inch of rain so far today which pushes the October total to 5.06 inches. In Fayette, over an inch today swelled the October total to over nine inches.

Remember, October is supposed to be the driest month of the year.

So goes weather.

These communities in West and NW Alabama now getting a break from the rain:

Decatur, Florence, Athens, Hamilton, Haleyville, Vernon, Aliceville, Eutaw, Demopolis, Livingston.

East and South Alabama still under a thick overcast and steady rain.

Heaviest in Central Alabama was in the Marion-Centreville areas of Perry and Bibb County.

Strong thunderstorms over the Extreme SW and offshore.

The strong low pressure area was centered directly over memphis late this morning and moving east. Cold front moving east across North Mississippi.

Much wrap-around cloudiness with that low so skies will be slow to clear. We could still get some more showers along the front but so far little or nothing.

One to two inches of rain common today from this big system.

TONIGHT'S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Most stadiums dry weather but wet fields. Cool, in the 50s. Could be some lingering light drizzle or light rain in some areas.

NOTE: Please scroll down for a lot of earlier information that is still valid.

At 9:45 still a good 90+ percent of Alabama getting rain including some very strong thunderstorms offshore. However, some breaks showing up over the West Central Counties.

3340 Skywatcher Keith Frank reports the rain has stopped at Eupoia, Miss., with BINOVC. (That is an old, old code used in the NWS meaning Breaks in Overcast)

The Birmingham area should get a break by about 11 am or so. Still could be some showers and thunderstorms this afternoon as a cold front gets closer. Don'y think they will be a real issue. Looks like severe weather today will be a downstate event.

NINE INCHES OF RAIN THIS MONTH IN FAYETTE
Our 3340 Skywatcher reports 0.94 so far today which brings the October total to a whopping 9.04 inches. Here are some updated rain totals so far today:

0.94 in Fayette
1.06 in Chelsea
0.98 in Sterrett-Chelsea area
0.87 in Greystone Cove
0.73 in Grestone Farms
0.71 in Helena (4.97 inches for the month so far)
0.96 in NE Trussville

Nearly 100% of the state getting rain. Good amounts already. Heaviest rain at 8:30 was over about the west 1/3 of the state.

A BREAK IN THE RAIN
The rear end of the big rain shield is moving east rather quickly. Places near the Mississippi border should get a break from the extensive rain before 10 this morning, and the Birmingham area will get a break in a couple of hours.

There will still be some redevelopment before a cold front arrives this afternoon. The front was near the Louisiana-Texas border.

It now looks like the 4 inch rainfall amounts projected from yesterday were too high.

Some late rainfall amounts in Alabama so far:

0.89 in West Trussville
0.77 in Northport
0.75 at Shelby County Airport (NWS)
0.93 at Anniston Airport
1.06 in Evergreen
0.64 at Montgomery
0.75 at Tuscaloosa
0.89 in Pinson
0.81 in Selma
0.76 in Greystone Cove (North Shelby)
0.56 at Helena
1.14 in Gadsden
0.41 in Alabaster
1.33 near where Jefferson-St. Clair and Blount counties join.

Please can down for additional information, including the Tornado Watch for Extreme SW Alabama. It looks like severe weather today will be a South Alabama event.