West Alabama Monday Briefing
It is Monday, January 22, 2024, and we are finished with sub-freezing temperatures for a while. We will warmup to near 70 by midweek and with the warmer temperatures comes chances of significant rainfall. Three to five inches of rain causing potential urban flooding conditions will hopefully put an end to ongoing severe drought.
The Convective Outlook from the Storm Prediction Center shows a potential for strong to severe thunderstorms tomorrow and Wednesday. Forecasters have highlighted West Alabama in an area of a Marginal (1 in 5) Risk.
The National Climate Center's 8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook is predicting a nice recovery from the Arctic blast of the last week with a 40% to 50% chance of above normal temperatures during that time period.
During that same 8 to 14 Day frame, the Precipitation Outlook is leaning toward a 40% to 50% chance for below normal precipitation.
The Forecast:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. East wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind 10 to 15 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. High near 70. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Remainder of the Week into the Weekend. Chance of showers and thunderstorms each day with highs in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees. Overnights will also be rainy with lows in the upper 50s.
Topping the News:
It was a deadly weekend in Tuscaloosa with two separate shootings taking a life.
Early Sunday morning CRU hookah lounge security guard Arron Dewayne Hill was arrested and charged with the murder of Rashad Little. A female acquaintance, 47-year-old Thyais Walker wash charged with possession of prohibited pistol.
According to the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, the 35-year-old Hill allegedly shot and killed the unarmed 28-year-old Little during an altercation and fled the scene. Hill was a bouncer at the lounge on Highway 69 South.
In a Saturday incident, three men were arrested after a predawn gunfight that left one man dead and three others injured in the Buhl Community. Multiple people were shot but 20-year-old Cayden Beau Nolen, did not survive his wounds. Persons in the area report multiple shots were fired.
35-year-old Jeffery Chase Jones of McCalla is in jail without bond this morning charged with making threats to DCH Regional Medical Center Saturday afternoon. The threats prompted a lockdown of the entire medical center campus.
TPD alleges Jones threatened violence against hospital staff and also included images of weapons in messages sent to DCH online accounts. He is charged with making first-degree terroristic threats.
15 communities across Alabama have been dealing with water issues as a result of the extended sub-freezing temperatures. Several of those dealing with the outages or shortages are here in West Alabama, most, like Sawyerville in Hale County and Ethelsville in Pickens County have now returned to service.
However, problems persist in the unincorporated communities of Randolph and Lawley in Bibb County and Oakman in Walker County. The Oakman outage is impacting some residents of North Tuscaloosa County and Eastern Fayette County.
Bibb Medical Center in Centreville has awarded three Shelton State Community College nursing students with apprenticeships. According to a release, Kamolyut Mengumpun, Kendra Hoskins, and Carson Gibbs are part of a program to increase the number of skilled nurses in West Alabama.
On this date 119 years ago the people of Moundville were dealing with the aftermath of an overnight tornado that wiped out the entire business district. ABC3340 Chief Meteorologist points out the anniversary is a reminder that strong tornadoes can happen anywhere, anytime, even in January.
According to the Moundville Times, the engineer of a northbound train saw what had happened and backed the train to Akron where he sent a telegraph message to Tuscaloosa asking for all possible help. Doctors from Tuscaloosa rushed to the scene.
Besides the 37 fatalities, 63 were injured.
In Sports:
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, former Washington wide receiver/kick returner Germie Bernard visited Alabama over the weekend and expects to commit to the Crimson Tide. He is a former ESPN 300 recruit who began his career at Michigan State. Bernard accounted for 738 yards in UW’s 14-1 season.
Per On3, another former Washington Husky is headed to Tuscaloosa. Parker Brailsford has committed to Alabama. He was the top IOL in the portal, according to On3's rankings.
Brailsford was a key member of Washington's offensive line this past season, which won the 2023 Joe Moore Award, annually recognizing the nation's best offensive line.
Brailsford will have three years of eligibility remaining.
The University of Alabama's Nick Dunlap held on to win The American Express, making him the first amateur to win a Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
The UA Golf Team member is the first reigning winner of the U.S. Amateur to win on Tour since Tiger Woods in 1996. The victory entitles Dunlap, if he chooses to turn pro, to entries in the Masters, the PGA Championship, the Players Championship and — most notably — a two-year exemption onto the PGA Tour.
Nick Saban called into the Golf Channel broadcast during Dunlap's round, praising the sophomore's steadiness and putting touch.
Dunlap must now decide whether to stay at UA or turn pro.
From UA Athletics: The Alabama women's basketball team was unable to hold its lead during a 78-65 decision against the Auburn Tigers Sunday afternoon inside Neville Arena. The Crimson Tide held a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter before allowing Auburn to retake the lead and defeat the Tide by 13 points.
The Crimson Tide (15-6, 2-4 SEC) had two starters finish with double figures spearheaded by a career-high 26 points for Jessica Timmons to go along with her team-high six rebounds. Sarah Ashlee Barker followed behind with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Tigers (13-6, 2-4 SEC) had three players score double digits and were led by JaMya Mingo-Young with 12 points and nine rebounds to go along with four assists.
Enjoy the warm and wet weather this week!!
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