West Alabama Friday Briefing
Good morning, it is Friday December 8, 2023. Our week of dry and relatively comfortable days is about to come to a screeching halt. Partly cloudy skies and mid 50 temperatures will give way to a chance for rain tonight through Sunday night. A few non-severe thunderstorms may form Saturday morning into the afternoon. Then a broken to solid line of thunderstorms ahead of a strong cold front will enter northwest Alabama late Saturday afternoon and move southeastward across the state.
Unfortunately, there is a potential severe weather component to the forecast. A Marginal (1 in 5) Risk for strong to severe thunderstorms has been issued for most of West Alabama tomorrow night through Sunday morning. However, a Slight (2 in 5) Risk has been expanded into Northern Pickens, Lamar and Fayette Counties.
The good news is 1" to 3" of rainfall should put a complete end to the wildfire threat. Currently six fires are burning across the state. One of those first is a 1-1/2-acre blaze just off Union Grove Road east of Greensboro in Hale County.
The Forecast:
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 47. South wind around 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon, then a slight chance of showers. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 28.
Remainder of the New Work Week: Partly cloudy to cloudy with highs in the mid 50s and lows in the upper 30s.
Topping the News:
The Attorney for 24-year-old Micah Washington is again calling for the termination of the Reform Police Officer who tased his client while he was handcuffed and not resisting arrest. Leroy Maxwell told news partner ABC 3340; it is for the public’s own safety. He says a person wearing a badge and gun should not react like that.
The incident captured on cellphone video has gone viral and has led to the temporary closure of Reform City Hall due to concern over rumors of threatened violence.
The City of Tuscaloosa has broken ground on a $10.2 million improvement project to Snow Hinton Park. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox calls the project a true community improvement. The upgrades will enhance existing pedestrian and bicycle access and add new lighting and camera systems that are tied to the cyber intelligence unit at the Tuscaloosa Police Department.
If you get a phone call from claiming to be from TPD and telling you there are federal warrants on you and that you can handle the situation by sending money or a gift card – don’t do it. It is a scam. Scammers have spoofed TPD’s non-emergency number. You are reminded that legitimate law enforcement agencies never demand payment via a gift card or cash app.
There is confusion over just when S-Town Podcast personality Tyler Goodson of Woodstock died after being shot during a stand-off with police. Three different dates have been given as his death date. Authorities say the confusion has arisen due to him having been declared brain dead but physically still alive.
News Nation is saying the Republican Presidential Debate in Tuscaloosa Wednesday night came off without a hitch. The lively and confrontational debate between the remaining four candidates challenging former president Donald Trump along with three well-known media moderators brought considerable media attention to Tuscaloosa.
The candidates hung around for the Fox and Friends live network shot from Temerson Square's Brick and Spoon Restaurant Thursday morning. The place was packed and had standing room only inside.
News Nation also did live shorts from the UA Quad and from Tuscaloosa's iconic Waysider Restaurant downtown.
Weather permitting; Christmas Afloat on the Black Warrior River downtown is set for dark tomorrow night. Boats arrayed with Christmas lights will travel down river from the Woolsey Finnel Bridge to the Mercedes Benz Amphitheatre then turn around and travel back upriver. There will also be fireworks.
If the weather is too bad Christmas Afloat will be rescheduled to December 16.
In Sports:
The selection of once beaten Alabama over unbeaten Florida State for the College Football Playoff is eliciting a lot of political grandstanding in the State of Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested $1 million for his office's budget to sue the CFP Committee.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Rick Scott has taken action in the senate. He claims the secret decision on who to invite is unfair and hints a conspiracy for Bama and against FSU.
Scott alleges the selection committee may have been influenced by outside financial interests by ESPN and he’s demanding the panel turn over all text, email and written communications among members of the selection panel and College Football Playoff committee officials.
Scott claims ESPN's $3 billion deal to carry SEC games starting next season influenced Alabama's selection for the playoff.
Alabama Senior Republican U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn Football Coach, is calling Scott's actions a waste of senate time and money. “There’s nobody more experienced to talk about this than me. I got left out in 2004 and we were undefeated,” he said, referring to the Auburn Tigers team that went 13-0 that year.
He said the committee did “what they thought was right.”
“You feel bad for Florida State. I do. I’ve been in their shoes,” he said.
Alabama Junior GOP U.S. Senator Sen. Katie Britt also defended the selection committee’s decision, pointing out that Alabama got left out of the playoffs last year and Texas Christian University got the 4th seed instead. The Horned Frogs were crushed by Georgia 65-7 in the national championship game.
Today is the Final Night of the AHSAA Super 7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium: In Class 4A Montgomery Catholics and Cherokee County square at 11:00am. It will be Reeltown and Fife at 3:00pm in Class 2A. Clay-Chalkville faces Saraland for the Class 6A Championship at 7:00pm.
Alabama Gymnastics' Crimson and White Pre-View Event is tonight at 6:00 in Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama Men's Basketball faces off with Purdue at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. The matchup will be aired on Fox and can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
The Bama Women host SFA at 2:00pm tomorrow at Coleman Coliseum.
Have a great weekend and Roll Tide!!
More From 95.3 The Bear
