West Alabama Friday Briefing
It is Friday, October 6, 2023, and we got rain overnight with a little more in the forecast for today. Don't get excited, the totals will not be enough to keep you from having to water the yard, much less end the Moderate Drought conditions in West Alabama.
A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 11:00 this morning until 7:00 Saturday night for Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Sumter and counties southward. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
The good news is, according to ABC3340 Chief Meteorologist James Spann, "The coolest air so far this season will roll into the Deep South following the front over the weekend. Highs drop into the 60s over the northern half of the state, with lows well down in the 40s by daybreak Sunday."
The weather should be nice for high school football tonight and close to perfect for Alabama's road game at College Station, TX tomorrow afternoon.
Dry condition will return overnight tonight and persist through the day next Thursday, but Spann says computer models indicate rain will spread across our area Thursday night. But right now, it is too early to tell if that rain will be enough to help return moisture to the soil.
The Forecast:
Today: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly between 1pm and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 53. North wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 70. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Afternoon for Crimson Tide Football at College Station TX: Partly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Remainder of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Holiday Weekend: Sunny days with highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s with mostly clear nights with lows in the lower 50s.
Topping the News:
Alabama’s elections next year will still have one majority-minority congressional district in West Alabama’s 7th District that will be 51.9% black but now District 2 in South Alabama will be an opportunity district that is 48.7% black. The selection of “Remedial Plan 3” by a 3-judge federal plan is fairer, one of the plaintiffs, Shalela Dowdy, told news partner ABC3340, "It's not everything we wanted but it will give us a chance to win."
Alabama Sec. of State Wes Allen vows the state will use the plan in next year’s elections but will continue to fight it, calling the map racial gerrymandering.
Now that the congressional districting map is set, 7th District Democrat Congresswoman Terri Sewell has announced she is running for her 8th term in congress. Greensboro Democrat State Senator Bobby Singleton has announced he is forming a committee to explore the possibility of challenging Sewell. Party primaries are March 5th of next year.
TPD and U-S Marshalls evacuated the Ramada in on Skyland Blvd. yesterday during a standoff in attempt to apprehend a wanted federal suspect. The TPD Tactical Team was called in and after failed negotiations; a peaceful surrender was forced by the use of teargas.
It will cost some 17-million dollars to implement changes and improvements suggested by parents and the community in the Tuscaloosa City School System. School leaders say a 11 ½ mill ad valorem tax increase would be needed to fund increased educator excellence, student programs and school safety.
Over 100 union workers at ZF Chassis Systems in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, remain on strike. They walked off on September 20, demanding the end of a tier wage system and lower healthcare costs.
The UAW Local 2083 members have rejected company contract proposals which they claim failed to address workers’ core demands.
ZF Chassis Systems produces axles for a nearby Mercedes-Benz factory.
Sokol Park has been undergoing improvements and the City of Tuscaloosa will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 17 at 9 a.m. to recognize the phase two improvements to the park.
The project is funded by Elevate Tuscaloosa and includes:
- Repaving existing parking lots,
- Adding a new traffic circle to improve traffic flow,
- A new parking lot near the baseball fields, and
- Storm drains improvements.
In Sports:
The 19th ranked Alabama Soccer Team took home the "Iron Bowl" on the pitch trophy last night after a late goal lifted them to a 2-1 win over Auburn on campus. It is the fourth consecutive win for the Tide over the Tigers and Bama remains undefeated in 27 consecutive home games.
The odds keep narrowing for Alabama football in tomorrow afternoon's battle with Texas A&M on the road. The Tide started out a 7-point favorite Sunday, that dropped to 4 points Tuesday, 2.5 points by Thursday morning and is down to 1-point now, per ESPN.
The game kicks off at 2:35pm tomorrow afternoon from the Crimson Tide Sports Network on Tide 100.9 and 95.3 The Bear. It will be televised by CBS.
Area High School Football tonight: Aliceville is at Lamar County, ACA visits Dallas County, Hale County hosts Bibb County, Brookwood travels to Bessemer City, Hillcrest is home to Central, Cordova welcomes Dora, Gordo hits the road to Carbon Hill, Jasper hosts Hayden, Holy Spirit is at Berry, Paul Bryant entertains Hueytown, A.L. Johnson is home to Keith, Northridge gets a visit from McAdory, Greensboro hosts Midfield, Sipsey Valley has a home game with Montevallo, Northside travels to Corner, Oak Grove is at Haleyville, Oakman travels to Fayette County, Pickens County visits Lynn, University Charter hosts R.C. Hatch, Demopolis entertains Shelby County, South Lamar hosts Sumiton Christian, Sweetwater travels to Linden, TCHS is at Spain Park, and Holt is home to West Blocton
Have a good and safe Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples holiday weekend and ROLL TIDE!!
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