West Alabama Wednesday Briefing
It is Wednesday December 20, 2023. There will be one more overnight of subfreezing temperatures tonight before the warm-up begins tomorrow.
That warm-up will bring chances for rain beginning Saturday night and running all the way through Tuesday. However, some computer models show the Christmas holiday may not be a complete washout. There could be a break in expected rainfall for most of the day on Christmas Eve.
The Forecast:
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Sunday, Christmas Eve Day: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.
Christmas Eve: Showers. Low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Christmas Day: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 63. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Christmas Night: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62.
Topping the News:
Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner says he has been attempting to lure the Kentuck Arts Center and Festival to Tuscaloosa for 20 years. Now it looks as if he has been successful, after the Tuscaloosa City Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Kentuck. Tyner believes moving to Tuscaloosa will be more beneficial for Kentuck and the city. Tyner also says Tuscaloosa will have more space to hold the festival which draws participants from across the country.
Kentuck rebuffed a last-minute request for a meeting made by Northport Council President Jeff Hogg.
Kentuck board President Bobby Bragg says Kentuck is not ready to make any announcements about the festival's future home yet.
The Tuscaloosa City Council unanimously has approved a resolution to ask the state legislature to ok a municipal property tax increase vote. The City Board of Education has asked for the vote to fund more school nurses and hire more teachers.
Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center Police will begin wearing body cameras Friday. The camera will activate when emergency lights are turned on and/or when an officer draws a weapon. Dash cams will be added to the VA’s policy of transparency beginning in the spring.
Mayor Walt Maddox has appointed Michael Gardiner as the Tuscaloosa City Engineer. The UA Civil Engineering Graduate and former project manager for McGiffert & Associates has been the acting city engineer and has been with the city since 2020.
The drought is still with us, and those dry conditions are still spawning wildfires. There are seven wildfires burning in the state this morning. One of them is in Walker County, it is a near 40-acre fire on County Road 18 near the Corona Community.
In Sports:
Today is National Signing Day for high school football stars headed to college. It doesn't carry the same excitement it used to due to teams picking up so many players through the transfer portal now. But there is still plenty of prep talent that can help any team, especially when they reclassify and become available immediately.
One such reclassification is a big get for Alabama. WR Ryan Williams reclassified to the 2024 class, giving them a playmaker in the mold of former Alabama standout DeVonta Smith.
Georgia currently holds the top spot on most 2024 Recruiting lists. Ohio State is second and Alabama is third going into today's signing.
Other SEC teams ranked: Texas 5th, Oklahoma 7th, Florida 10th, Auburn 11th, LSU 12th, Tennessee 13th, Texas A&M 18th, South Carolina 20th, Ole Miss 21st, Missouri 23rd, Kentucky 24th, Arkansas 28th, Mississippi State 35th, and Vanderbilt 39th,
If a prospect doesn't sign a national letter of intent by Friday, the next national signing day for this cycle begins Feb. 7, 2024.
From UA Athletics: The Alabama men's basketball team is in Phoenix, Ariz., to face No. 4/4 Arizona in the Hall of Fame Phoenix Series, tonight at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns.
The Crimson Tide's matchup against the Wildcats is the final matchup of three straight games where Alabama will face a top-10 opponent in No. 4 Purdue, at No. 8 Creighton and vs. No. 4 Arizona (Phoenix, Ariz.). It is the first time Alabama has faced three straight top-10 opponents during the non-conference schedule.
The game is set for a 10 p.m. CT tipoff and will be aired on the ESPN with Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) on the call.
You can also catch the game on the Crimson Tide Sports Network on 1230AM and 100.9FM.
Have a wonderful Wednesday and ROLL TIDE!!
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