November will begin up where October left off, with warm, dry weather following a brief period of rain. For the most up-to-date information, see the video forecast.
It finally rained in Birmingham. At 9:07 p.m. on Thursday, 0.01 inch of rain fell at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, ending the 32-day run.
October contains 744 hours. It did not rain for 741 of those hours, hence the month was 99.996% rain-free.
Birmingham’s five driest Octobers on record are as follows:
- October 1924: 0.00 inches.
- October 2016: a trace of rain (not enough to measure).
- October 1938: 0.05 inch.
- October 1991: 0.07 inch.
FRIDAY AND WEEKEND
A slow-moving, weak, chilly front stalls over North Alabama on Friday, with overcast and sporadic showers expected throughout the day. Rain is most likely to fall in the northern half of the state, but a few showers may develop as far south as Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston.
Clouds will keep it cool Friday afternoon, with highs in the mid-70s and a gentle west breeze.
High School Football
The weather forecast for Friday night’s high school football games is pleasant. The starting temperature will be around 70 degrees, with largely cloudy skies. Temperatures fall into the mid-60s toward the end of the game.
Collegiate Football
Auburn will meet Vanderbilt at Jordan-Hare Stadium at 11:45 a.m. The temperature at the start of the game will be in the upper 70s, with a mostly sunny sky. We will warm into the low 80s during the game, with no chance of rain.
At 1:30 p.m., UAB hosts Tulsa at Protective Stadium. The sky will be mostly sunny, with a kickoff temperature of 80 degrees. We will be warm and dry during the game.
Samford takes on Wofford at 2:00 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. Humid temperatures will rise into the low 80s during the game, thanks to a mix of sun and clouds.
EXTRA SLEEP THIS WEEKEND
Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 3, at 2 a.m., with the sun rising at 6:08 a.m. and setting at 4:53 p.m. Clocks will “fall back” one hour, giving us an extra hour of sleep!
As autumn progresses and winter approaches, the sun rises later and sets sooner. We will lose little more than one minute of daylight per day through November.
The change of the clock is also an excellent reminder to replace the batteries in your smoke detector and weather radio.
Warm Pattern into Early November
A continuous ridge over the Gulf and Atlantic has kept the jet stream away from Alabama recently, resulting in low rainfall.
We estimate temperatures to be 5 to 10 degrees (or more) above average every day next week, with minimal likelihood of significant rainfall.
This trend will continue through early November, but will gradually break down around November 10.
We anticipate warmer-than-normal weather through the middle of the month, though it will probably not be as warm as it has been recently. The heat will gradually subside, and the likelihood of receiving at least an inch of rain will grow around November 10.