Alabama’s sometimes-wet weather pattern will continue on Thursday, according to forecasters, with scattered rain and storms in the forecast for much of the state.
But it will keep temperatures a bit cooler than average in some spots, according to the National Weather Service.
It was even record cool in one place in Alabama on Wednesday.
The weather service said Tuscaloosa’s high temperature on Wednesday was only 79 degrees. That broke the record for lowest high temperature on July 24. The previous record was 84 degrees in 1985.
Tuscaloosa’s Wednesday temperature was also 13 degrees below the average for this point in July, according to weather service data.
Speaking of high temperatures, some other places in north and central Alabama also got to enjoy some cooler weather on Wednesday, while it was still sultry in the southern part of the state.
Here are some of Wednesday’s highs (and the departure from average):
* Anniston: 86 degrees (4 degrees below average)
* Birmingham: 80 degrees (11 degrees below average)
* Dothan: 94 degrees (the average temperature)
* Huntsville: 82 degrees (10 degrees below average)
* Mobile: 94 degrees (3 degrees above average)
* Montgomery: 91 degrees (3 degrees below average)
* Muscle Shoals: 81 degrees (11 degrees below average)
* Shelby County Airport: 82 degrees (10 degrees below average)
* Troy: 89 degrees (3 degrees below average)
Clouds and scattered showers and storms are expected to again help keep the mercury in check in parts of Alabama today.
The weather service expects high temperatures to reach only the low 80s in parts of north Alabama, but it will get warmer as you head southward, with low 90s in the forecast for south Alabama (see the forecast for temperatures today at the top of this post).
The rain could continue to add up today, too, although not everyone will see any. Scattered rain and storms are in the forecast for most of Alabama, with higher chances in north and north-central Alabama, according to the weather service.
Here’s the probability of rain today through 7 p.m.:
There will be higher rain chances on Thursday in parts of north Alabama. This forecast is valid through 7 p.m. Thursday.NWS
Some spots got their share of rain on Wednesday. Of the bigger cities surveyed, Birmingham was again the big winner in the rainfall department on Wednesday, with the official tally being 1.25 inches.
That comes just a day after the Magic City set a record for rain on June 23 with 1.99 inches (that record had stood since 1930).
Some other rainfall totals from Wednesday:
* Birmingham: 1.25 inches
* Dothan: 0.54 inches
* Huntsville: 0.13 inches
* Mobile: 0.15 inches
* Montgomery: 0.01 inches
* Muscle Shoals: 0.20 inches
* Shelby County Airport: 0.40 inches
* Troy: 0.93 inches
* Tuscaloosa: 0.14 inches
Enjoy the rainy and cooler weather while it lasts. Summer is expected to return in full force in about a week, with more of the state expected to see highs in the mid-90s again.
Here is the long-range high temperature forecast for next Wednesday, July 31:
Next Wednesday will feature a return of full-force heat for most of Alabama. Above is the high temperature forecast for July 31.NWS