Alabama’s weather forecast: Lows in the 40s, Highs near 80
Classic October weather will last into next week, and that will mean more chilly nights and sunny, warm days. Some wetter weather begins to creep into Alabama around Halloween into early November. Check the video forecast for the latest updates.
7-DAY FORECAST
FRIDAY: Cool morning in the 40s followed by a sunny, warm afternoon. Highs 75 to 80 degrees. Rain chance: 0%
SATURDAY: Fair and a little cooler with an east breeze. Morning low around 45-50, daytime high in the lower to middle 70s. Rain chance: 0%.
SUNDAY: Sunny and pleasant. Cool morning, warm dry afternoon. Highs in the mid-70s. Rain chance: 0%.
MONDAY: Chilly morning lows down in the 40s again. Warming up to the middle 70s with a mostly sunny sky. Rain chance: 0%.
TUESDAY: Cool and dry early in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Warming to the mid-70s in the afternoon with a light east wind and a partly sunny sky. Rain chance: 0%.
WEDNESDAY: Fair and warmer. Morning lows in the low-50s, afternoon highs 75 to 80 degrees. Rain chance: 0%.
THURSDAY: Partly sunny, warm and dry. Highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. Rain chance: 0%.
CLASSIC OCTOBER WEATHER
October is known the for the classic question—”will today be cold or hot?” The answer is “yes.”
Average October temperatures for Birmingham keep morning lows in the 50s and daytime highs in the 70s—a roughly 22-degree jump from morning low to afternoon high. Lately, it has been a 35 to 40-degree swing that needs sleeves in the morning and shorts in the afternoon.
Some slightly cooler air will slip in this weekend and bring the highs down a little, but we will still have that big, wide range from chilly mornings to pleasantly warm afternoons for the next several days.
Friday will feature morning lows in the 40s (and a few upper 30s over eastern Alabama), and then the temperature makes a healthy jump toward the upper 70s by 2 p.m.
High school football games will be much more comfortable this week. The breeze will be gentle and hardly noticeable, and temperatures will drop from the upper 60s at kickoff into the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.
TALLADEGA WEEKEND
The weather could not be much better for the Fall race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Mornings will be chilly, and the days will be warm and dry with a light breeze, full sunshine and a pleasant feel that does not happen often in Alabama.
You can get hour-by-hour temperature forecasts for the Superspeedway and any point in the United States from the free WVTM 13 app.
For everything else going on around Alabama, it will be fantastic for outdoor activities: no rain, a fair sky and a light breeze.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FORECAST
LSU at Auburn: Full sunshine and a light east breeze will make for fantastic weather in Auburn for an 11 a.m. CDT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Temperatures will sit near 69 degrees at kickoff, climbing to 73 degrees at halftime and peaking around 75 degrees in the fourth quarter. Rain chances are zero percent under full sunshine. Winds out of the northeast will hold between 5 and 15 mph. Ponchos will not be needed.
Samford at Furman: Greenville, South Carolina, will feature sunny and crisp weather for a 1 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EDT) kickoff at Paladin Stadium. Temperatures will start near 64 degrees for the opening drive, holding in the mid-60s at halftime before easing toward 60 degrees late in the second half. Northeast winds will average 5 to 15 mph.
Central State at Miles College:Fairfield will see dry, comfortable conditions for a 2 p.m. CDT kickoff at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium. Kickoff temperatures will begin near 73 degrees and then settling near 69 degrees by the fourth quarter. Expect a clear sky with no impactful wind.
Texas A&M at Alabama: Clear skies and mild temperatures will dominate Tuscaloosa for a 2:30 p.m. CDT kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Temperatures will sit near 75 degrees for kickoff and dropping to the 60s by the end of the game. Northeast winds will blow between 5 and 8 mph. Zero percent rain chances ensure dry weather throughout the contest.
Louisiana-Monroe at Troy: Veterans Memorial Stadium will feature sunny weather for a 3 p.m. CDT kickoff. Temperatures will begin near 73 degrees, falling to 70 degrees at halftime and cooling into the low-60s by the fourth quarter. Northeast winds will hold near 5 to 8 mph. Zero percent rain chances will keep conditions completely dry.
(Bye Week: UAB and Jacksonville State)
SKYWATCHING IN LATE OCTOBER
Late October will usually provide enough clear nights to get a great view of the sky.
Friday morning offers another good chance to catch the Orionid meteor shower under clear skies. The Orionids, created by debris from Halley’s Comet, could produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour from a dark location. The fast-moving meteors travel about 41 miles per second, creating quick, sharp streaks. Viewing depends on timing and luck, but Orion and Sirius will also provide a striking predawn display.
Best viewing: Friday’s moonset is at 4:15 a.m., leaving about an hour of dark sky. Viewing scores are 6 out of 10 Friday, 4 Saturday and 2 Sunday through Tuesday as moonlight increases. The Full Hunter’s Moon will wash out some of the smaller meteor streaks through the weekend even as the sky stays clear.
How to watch: Find a spot away from city lights, lie back and look high toward the south. Allow 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust. No telescope is needed. Dress warmly, and use a free stargazing app such as Stellarium to identify nearby stars and planets.
LOOKING TOWARD HALLOWEEN
Alabama’s longer range weather outlook stays mostly dry up until Halloween. We need some rain, though.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows a slight improvement in overall drought conditions across the state, but stream levels and lake levels are quite low. That indicates a lack of soil and ground moisture, and the dryness is one reason we may have a very muted fall foliage season from now through mid-November.
Around Halloween, the weather pattern will begin to look more like a typical El Niño situation. El Niño does not make the specific weather do anything at your house, but it does stack the deck in favor of certain storm system tracks, rainfall patterns, and temperature expectations.
That will mean at least some chance of rain for Halloween and through the first few days of November. The rain looks fairly certain for that time period, but the timing is the big question for the Magic City Classic and Trick-or-Treating.
For 12 consecutive years, WVTM 13 First Warning Weather has been the source for the certified most accurate forecasts in Central Alabama, showcasing an unwavering commitment to delivering dependable weather updates.
