Forecasts around Alabama’s showdown with Georgia kept getting better Wednesday night and Friday, even as Hurricane Isaias strengthened to a Category 1 storm and pushed toward the Gulf Coast.
The key change is timing. Isaias has moved faster than earlier projections suggested, and meteorologists now expect the roughest weather tied to the system to sweep through west Alabama before fans start streaming into Bryant-Denny Stadium. James Spann’s latest read has the storm north of Tuscaloosa by kickoff.
“The weather looks favorable for Saturday night’s Alabama/Georgia game at Bryant-Denny Stadium,” he said. “Lingering clouds, an outside risk of a passing shower or two, and winds less than 15 miles per hour.”
That is a sharp shift from the earlier worry that heavy rain and gusty wind could interfere with one of the season’s marquee games. As the forecast updated through Friday, the window for major problems kept shrinking, and the biggest concern shifted away from kickoff and toward the morning crowd.
That means tailgaters and anyone headed to ESPN’s College GameDay may still feel the impact. The show was originally set to be outside on the University of Alabama campus, but it will now move indoors to Coleman Coliseum because of weather concerns. The trucks that had been on campus building the set were no longer by the quad once the decision was made.
The tougher conditions are now expected in the morning, so fans making the trip to campus are still being told to keep an eye on local forecasts and build in extra travel time.
Alabama Athletics also said Wednesday night that the game itself remains on schedule.
“At this time, kickoff remains scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday. We continue to encourage fans to rely on official Alabama Athletics and SEC channels for the latest information regarding Saturday’s game,” the statement said.
It is familiar territory for Crimson Tide fans, who already dealt with weather interruptions this season when the Week 3 home game against Florida State was delayed before kickoff because of lightning and then paused again late in the first half.
For now, though, the outlook is trending in the right direction. Alabama and Georgia are still set to meet in Tuscaloosa at 6:30 p.m. on ABC under mostly favorable conditions.
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