Alabama

James Spann: A few showers for Alabama today; warm afternoons continue – Alabama News Center

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2024

James Spann: A few showers for Alabama today; warm afternoons continue – Alabama News Center

RADAR CHECK: We have a few areas of mostly light rain over the southern half of Alabama early this morning. Otherwise, the sky is mostly cloudy with temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s. We are forecasting a mix of sun and clouds today with scattered showers possible; the highest coverage will be over the southern counties. The weather stays warm, with a high between 80 and 85 degrees this afternoon.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Highs remain in the 80s Saturday and Sunday with a partly to mostly sunny sky both days. We will keep some risk of isolated showers in the forecast for the far southern part of Alabama, but nothing widespread or heavy.

COOL CHANGE: While Monday will be another warm day, a dry cold front will bring a cool change to the Deep South beginning Tuesday. Highs drop into the 70s over north and central Alabama, with lows in the 50s. The highs will be close to 80 over south Alabama, and the week will be dry with sunny days and fair nights. We see no really significant rain for Alabama for the next 10-15 days. This is common for October, the driest month of the year here based on climatology.

TROPICS: Kirk remains a powerful hurricane this morning with winds of 145 mph, but it is in the middle of the Atlantic far from land. It turns north, then northeast well east of the U.S. Behind Kirk is Tropical Storm Leslie with winds of 60 mph. It should become a hurricane over the next 24 hours, but like Kirk it will remain far from land.

We continue to watch the southern Gulf of Mexico, where disorganized showers and thunderstorms are associated with a trough of low pressure. A broad area of low pressure is expected to form this weekend, and thereafter some gradual development is possible while the low moves slowly eastward or northeastward. A tropical or subtropical depression or storm could form during the early to middle part of next week if the low remains separate from a frontal boundary that is forecast to extend across the Gulf of Mexico next week. Regardless of tropical or subtropical development, locally heavy rains could occur over portions of Mexico during the next few days and over portions of the Florida Peninsula (not the panhandle) late this weekend into next week.

The National Hurricane Center gives this feature a 40% chance of development. We see no risk of a tropical storm or hurricane for the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach) for at least the next seven days.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: There’s just a small risk of a shower during the first quarter for the high school games tonight. Otherwise, it will be mostly fair and pleasant; temperatures will fall through the 70s.

Saturday, UAB will host Tulane at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham (noon kickoff). The sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 80s.

Auburn will be on the road at Georgia (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be sunny with temperatures in the low 80s through most of the game.

Alabama travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt (3:15 p.m. CT kickoff). Expect a sunny sky with temperatures falling from near 85 degrees at kickoff to near 80 by the final whistle.

RACE WEEKEND: There’s just an outside risk of a shower today at Talladega; otherwise, it will be warm and dry through the weekend with highs in the mid 80s. Lows will be in the 60s.

ON THIS DATE IN 1995: Opal made landfall at Pensacola Beach as a Category 3 hurricane with top sustained winds of 115 mph. Opal at that time was the first major hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since Eloise in 1975.

Opal’s legacy will always be the devastating storm surge that occurred across the coastal areas of the western Florida Panhandle. Storm surge of 10-15 feet was recorded from Navarre Beach east to Destin, with 6-8 feet observed in the inland bays from Pensacola to Choctawhatchee Bay. Opal destroyed most of the homes that were facing the Gulf of Mexico from Navarre Beach to east of Destin.

Opal was a high-impact event for most of inland Alabama. Rainfall measured at the Birmingham Airport reached 6.94 inches for the day, with major flooding in parts of the city. There were two storm-related deaths in Gadsden, in Etowah County, when high wind toppled a massive oak tree onto their mobile home.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.

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Alabama

Alabama juvenile is charged with murder of missing 10-year-old girl found dead at a home

Published

1 hour ago

April 20, 2026

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Alabama juvenile is charged with murder of missing 10-year-old girl found dead at a home

A “joyful” 10-year-old Alabama girl was found dead soon after being reported missing — with another juvenile charged with her murder.

Katheryn Bigbee, 10, was reported missing just before 11 p.m. Friday, when police were called to an undisclosed address in Calhoun County, AL.com reported.

“Officers responded immediately to the residence,” Piedmont Police Chief Nathan Johnson said in a statement. “They tragically discovered a deceased juvenile inside the home.”

Katheryn Bigbee, 10, was found dead in an Alabama home on Friday night, with another juvenile soon arrested. Piedmont Elementary School

It remains unclear where the house was, or whether it was the young girl’s family home — but another juvenile was soon taken into custody and hit with murder charges.

Their identity and connection to Bigbee have not been disclosed due to their age.

Bigbee’s cause of death also remains unclear, with police saying the investigation was still ongoing.

“Our family has been torn to pieces, and we have lost the most amazing, sweetest little girl,” relative Blake Trammel wrote on Facebook.

“She was a light in any room she walked into. I cannot express the pain, guilt, and emptiness that has come from all of this. We don’t have answers, only more questions,” he added.

The girl’s school also recalled her as a beloved member of its community.

“Our entire Piedmont Elementary School family is grieving as we remember a sweet little girl who brought smiles, kindness, and a bright light to our halls each day,” the school said in a statement.

“Katheryn had a joyful, spunky personality that made her truly special,” the school said. “She was an enthusiastic reader and will be remembered for the happiness she shared so freely.”

“She will always be a part of our school family, and her memory will live on in the hearts of her classmates, teachers, and all who knew and loved her.”

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Alabama AHSAA softball key dates and top teams approaching the 2026 playoffs

Published

14 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Alabama AHSAA softball key dates and top teams approaching the 2026 playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Alabama’s AHSAA softball playoffs are just around the corner with three of the state’s top teams ranked in the national Top 15.

The No. 5 Orange Beach [AL] Makos, No. 10 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors, and No. 15 Wetumpka [AL] Indians are all ranked in the most recent edition of the MaxPreps Top 50 with the start of Alabama’s postseason less than two weeks away.

Orange Beach was previously ranked No. 1 before losing to the South Warren [Bowling Green, KY] Spartans last week. Both teams were undefeated going into the contest, and the Barbers Hill [Mt. Belvieu, TX] Eagles took the Makos’ place at the top of the rankings following the loss.

WATCH: ALABAMA AHSAA SOFTBALL ON THE NFHS NETWORK

Key dates for the Alabama AHSAA softball playoffs

DATE	PLAYOFF DEADLINES
5/1-5/26 Advertisement	Area Tournaments
5/11-14/26	Regional Tournaments
5/18-22/26	State Tournaments Advertisement

National Top 50 contenders by classification

Alabama’s three nationally-ranked teams all compete in different classifications.

Class 7A

The Thompson Warriors are 34-1-2, and they compete in the AHSAA’s top-level Class 7A ranks. The team’s only loss is to the No. 15 Wetumpka Indians in a 3-2 setback on April 3.

Class 6A

Wetumpka is 34-5, and as noted above, they are the only team to beat Thompson so far.

Class 4A

Orange Beach is the state’s top-ranked team despite competing at the AHSAA’s Class 4A level. Their loss to South Warren of Kentucky in a 6-1 setback on April 9 ended a 45-game win streak at the time. The Makos had only allowed 25 runs all season prior to the relative outburst by the Spartans.

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Alabama edge to pattern his game after 2-time Super Bowl Champ

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Alabama edge to pattern his game after 2-time Super Bowl Champ

Photo comes via Rodger Champion of Alabama athletics

How electric could Alabama football be on defense this season?

Alabama edge updates development of 4-star inside linebacker

The answer comes down to how many players Kane Wommack can produce to affect opposing quarterbacks in the pocket.

He returns Yhonzae Pierre, a fourth-year edge rusher, following a season where he collected eight sacks (team-high), 14.5 tackles for loss (team-high), nine quarterback hurries (team-high), and three forced fumbles. Pierre will draw much attention from offensive coaches; however, the Crimson Tide has a sophomore ready to help him on the outside.

Justin Hill, a former four-star from Cincinnati, Ohio, has made it his mission to become a complete pass rusher.

Alabama edge Justin Hill (#8) is modeling his game after a former two-time Suer Bowl Champion.

3/25/25 MFB Spring Practice
Alabama Linebacker Justin Hill (8)
Photo by Kent Gidley

He provided some excitement in 15 games last year, posting 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a pass breakup.

Former 4-star edge “will stand out” at Alabama in 2026 season, per Yhonzae Pierre

Who is Justin Hill modeling his game after?

The 6-foot-3, 244-pounder had a good spring, and the coaching staff looks at him as someone that brings speed, power, and edge-bending abilities to harass quarterbacks. Hill mentioned to reporters after A-Day that he wants to ‘go through’ quarterbacks in generating pressure.

He also wants to pattern his game after a former two-time Super Bowl Champion.

Hill detailed the former two-time Butkus Award winner he’s emulating.

“I am watching guys like Von Miller,” Hill said. “I’m watching a lot of speed to power guys.”

Hill stated Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos as another National Football League pass rusher he is studying. Bonitto has 37 sacks and 44 tackles for loss in four seasons with the Broncos – including a career-high 14 sacks in 2025.

Miller is one of the greatest pass rushers in the history of the league. He has 138.5 career sacks, including seven seasons with 10-plus sacks.

Miller has two Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honor, three first-team All-Pro honors, eight Pro Bowl nods, and is on the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade Team.

Hill learned to ‘cut it loose’ as an edge rusher from Pierre, so the combination of that and studying film on Miller should prepare him to be a force in the fall.

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Stephen M. Smith is a team writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama.
He is a seasoned writer that has covered Alabama football for Touchdown Alabama Magazine since 2009. Smith has extensive knowledge within the program, which has made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Throughout his career, Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

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