A storm system in the Gulf could turn Saturday into a logistical mess for Alabama and Georgia, and James Spann says the possibility is serious enough that nothing should be ruled out yet.
The ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist told AL.com in an early Tuesday afternoon phone interview that the worst-case setup could hit Tuscaloosa hard ahead of the 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff between No.
2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama.
With the SEC already saying it is monitoring the weather, Spann said a game change is not off the table.
“We’ve got potential for a hurricane making landfall in Mobile Bay,” Spann told AL.com. “The Alabama-Georgia game, a presidential visit, College GameDay.
You got the big (Zach Bryan) concert at Auburn. This is the National Shrimp Festival at Gulf Shores this weekend, which is huge.
I mean, you could not … it’s gonna be a nightmare.”
He said the league could be forced to deal with a “nightmare” if the system strengthens and tracks toward Alabama on Saturday morning.
“The idea of moving the game, it’s on the table,” Spann told AL.com. “I’m saying it’s clearly on the table.
It would be a nightmare for everybody involved. But if we do get a Category 1, Category 2 hurricane coming right up Mobile Bay Saturday morning, I don’t know if you wouldn’t be playing that game in Tuscaloosa that you’ve got the chance of winds gusting to 50 miles an hour, torrential rain and the chance of isolated tornadoes on top of everything else.”
If the storm is named, it would be Isaias, which translates to “God is salvation.”
For now, Spann says the forecast is still too unsettled to force a decision. He said the clearest picture should come by Wednesday afternoon, when the models have a better handle on the storm’s track. Until then, he said the safest move is to wait.
Spann said he does not have any role in deciding what happens with the game. He works with Alabama officials on game days and provides forecasts to coaches for planning, but he is not part of the decision-making process.
The direction of the storm will matter just as much as its strength. Spann said the best outcome would be for it to move east, which would put Alabama on the dry side. If it curves through West Alabama or Mississippi, though, he said conditions could get ugly fast.
“But if it comes up through West Alabama or Mississippi,” Spann said, “it’s gonna be rough. I mean, real rough.”
The planned visit from President Donald Trump only adds to the complication, with Secret Service security perimeters and equipment layering on top of the weather concerns. Spann said that makes the whole weekend even more tangled.
“I mean it’s just, it’s the perfect storm,” Spann said. “A hurricane, GameDay, a presidential visit, top-five teams playing at the same time.
But again, I’m hoping the thing, maybe it’s a weaker tropical storm and the core of it passes east of here. We’re on the dry side.
Or maybe it waits until Sunday, maybe it slows down and the rain holds off until Sunday. That’s on the table.”
Spann also pushed back on a fake graphic circulating on social media that falsely claimed a decision had already been made and used his name.
“I just hate these knuckleheads on X (formerly Twitter) start sharing these fake graphics,” Spann said. “You can go there and see it. I probably had to write a big word fake across it saying there’s nothing to this.”
For now, Spann’s message is simple: wait for the real data, not the rumors. He said the Hurricane Center should begin advisories Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday there should be enough information to make a call. Until then, he said, a decision is still roughly 24 hours away and he hopes the game stays put.
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