West Alabama Wednesday Briefing

It is Wednesday March 20, 2024.

Spring has finally sprung! The vernal equinox, the official start date for the season in the Northern Hemisphere, has arrived. The 2024 spring equinox occurred at exactly 10:06 p.m. last night CDT. Now that doesn't mean it actually felt like spring this morning.

Temperatures yesterday morning were below freezing and this morning they were just above freezing with frost reported in areas just north of Tuscaloosa County. But spring will make its presence known the rest of the week.

Today forward this week will feel more like spring with daytime highs bumping up into the 70s and overnight lows in the 40s.

With the lack of rain everything is taking on a yellow tint with pollen. The Tree Pollen Count for today is Moderate but is expected to be Very High tomorrow. The Grass Pollen County is Moderate and will remain that way tomorrow.

During this peak part of the pollen season allergists suggest for you to keep your windows and doors closed, especially on windy days. Avoid outdoor activities in the early morning and be sure to shower and change clothes after being outdoors for an extended time.

We will attempt to keep you informed about the pollen count.

The Forecast"

Today

Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph.

Friday

Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 63. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday

Partly sunny, with a high near 67.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 42.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 73.

Sunday Night

Get our free mobile app

Topping the News:

A DEI ban law awaits Governor Ivey's signature. Despite student and faculty protests at the University of Alabama and other campuses, protests at the state capitol and a push by the NAACP for black college athletes to transfer out of Alabama if it passed; Senate Bill129 was approved by the upper chamber on a 25-4 vote late yesterday. Changes made in the house were adopted so the bill now goes to the governor's desk.

Opponents promise a lawsuit to block the bills implementation will be filed once Gov. Ivey signs it and makes it the law of the state. They claim the law takes race relations backwards and could hurt the state's economy.

The voices of the people were heard by the Tuscaloosa City Council last night. Numerous residents of the area around Veteran's Memorial Parkway East turned out at last night's council meeting to oppose a plan to demolish the four-decade old pedestrian bridge that crosses the busy four land roadway.

The council voted to send the destruction plan back to the Council Public Projects Committee for re-evaluation. A final decision is expected in the next two to four weeks.

46 applicants took advantage of Northport's grant program three years ago that provided funding for businesses in the city to remodel their building facades. Now the city is hoping to pinpoint further remodeling from the Hugh Thomas Bridge, down Lurleen Wallace Blvd. to U.S. 82.

The minimum project size will be $200,000 with a 5o-50 match.

The solar eclipse coming up on April 8th will not be seen in its totality in West Alabama. Approximately 89.2% of the eclipse will be visible in our area of the state according to Eclipse2024.org.

Experts are reminding anyone wanting to view the eclipse to use "Certified" USA made glasses only.

Click HERE for the path of totality.

West Alabama is honeycombed with abandoned and active underground coal mines. One potentially deadly aspect of these mines is the presence of methane gas.

Earlier this month a home in the Adger community exploded, reportedly from the presence of the gas in a mine owned by Crimson Oak Grove Resources, Inc. The blast seriously injured 78-year-old W.M. Griffice and his grandson Anthony Hill. Griffice is on a ventilator and his grandson remains hospitalized, with a lengthy recovery ahead.

A lawsuit has now been filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court blaming the explosion on negligent buildup of methane buildup in the mine under Griffice's house.

The former fire chief of the Argo Volunteer Fire Department is missing. Sumiton Police Department says Terry Pickett has not been heard from by his family since last Friday.

The police department said it has not found anything suspicious.

Award winning news anchor Tamika Alexander, who for two decades was the face of WVUA 23 as senior anchor at the University of Alabama station has been hired as the main news anchor for WHNT TV in Huntsville.

Topping Sports News:

From UA Athletics: Alabama used a huge night from TJ McCants to secure a 15-7 win over Alabama State on Tuesday evening at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex in Montgomery. With the victory, the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide is now 18-3 overall on the season.

Bama plays its second SEC series this coming weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. First pitch in the series opener is set for 5 p.m. CDT with a 11 a.m. start to follow on Saturday. Things wrap up on Sunday at 12 p.m. The bookend games of the series will air on SEC Network+ with game two being broadcast nationally on SEC Network. You can also hear the games on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

From UA Athletics: Alabama softball needed just five innings to get the win Tuesday night over Samford, defeating the Bulldogs 11-2. "We just got better as the game went on." Coach Patrick Murphy said in post-game comments.

The Tide is in action again tonight against UAB at 6:00 at the Rhodes House on campus.

From UA Athletics: For the second time in as many years, the No. 16 Alabama men's golf team has claimed the team championship with a Crimson Tide golfer earning medalist honors at the Linger Longer Invitational. Alabama won its third team championship of the year Tuesday, closing the event in convincing fashion with 40-under par 824 (267-272-285), while Jonathan Griz earned his first career medalist honor with a 13-under par 203 (62-67-74).

Enjoy the first full day of spring today and ROLL TIDE!!