Weekend Event Weather

For some of us in the South, football takes the spotlight from August to December, but there are a LOT of other activities going on around the Tennessee Valley that occur outside a football stadium. This strong cold front moving into the South today will bring drastic weather changes to the entire region over the next 24 hours! Friday’s high temperature in Huntsville was 82 degrees; by 4 PM Saturday, we will be lucky to be much above 62 degrees with a gusty northwest wind and a few spotty showers.

Rain will not be a big factor this weekend, but there is definitely some potential there for a little light rain on both Saturday and Sunday. Clouds will keep temperatures cool in the Tennessee Valley, but areas that get some sunshine just outside our immediate area will be a little milder.

Let’s start out with the football forecasts for a few of tomorrow’s college games:

• Arkansas at Auburn – 11:00 AM at Jordan-Hare Stadium – The Auburn-Arkansas game will play out before the cold front gets to Lee County, but the wind will start shifting around in the afternoon. Expect temperatures at kick-off in the upper 70s rising to around 83 by the end of the game. There is a 20% chance of an isolated shower before 3 PM Saturday in Auburn.
• Alabama A&M at Miss. Valley State – 2:00 PM in Itta Bena, Miss. – Alabama A&M will likely play in the coolest environment of the season so far for the Bulldogs! Temperatures will drop from 65 at kick off to near 60 in the fourth quarter. With a small chance of showers (30%), a mostly cloudy sky, and a stiff northwest breeze at 15-25 MPH, it’s going to feel very cool out there!
• UNA at Texas A&M Kingsville – 7:00 PM in Kingsville, TX – The weather will be warm when UNA travels to Kingsville, Texas to play TAMU Kingsville. Temperatures will start out around 80 and fall into the 70s by the fourth quarter. There is a 20% chance of a shower with a southeast wind at 6-12 MPH.

Local events will all be impacted by this rapid weather change in the next 24 hours:

• 32nd Annual Madison Street Festival – Downtown Madison The front will pass through Madison early in the morning, and that will leave us with a mostly cloudy sky, a gusty northwest breeze, cooler temperatures, and a small risk of a shower. The chance of rain is around 20% before Noon. Temperatures will start out in the 50s at parade time (8:30 AM) and only rise to the lower and middle 60s in the afternoon hours provided we get a little sunshine between the clouds.
• Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddler’s Convention – Athens The weather here will be very similar to that in Madison: cool and breezy with a small chance of some light showers now and then. The rain chance is small, and the chance of “significant” rain is even smaller; don’t cancel plans based on potential for showers, but you should definitely consider what you’re wearing when you leave the house on Saturday!

And lastly, Talladega Superspeedway will be hopping this weekend. The Saturday race may feature a few isolated showers, but the chance of a race stoppage is small. Temperatures will fall from the 70s down to the 60s by the end of the race.

Sunday’s race will be one of the nicest weather-wise in recent memory! Temperatures will be in the 60s with a nice northwest breeze and a partly cloudy sky. This must have been what they were hoping for when they scheduled an October race at Talladega!

-Jason
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