Warming Trend Continues; Rain Returns To Alabama Saturday
BIG WARM-UP: Some places across North Alabama have climbed 40 degrees today from the morning low to the high this afternoon. The sky is clear, and temperatures are mostly in the low to mid 60s. Tonight will be clear and not as cold as recent nights; lows will range from 34-44 degrees early tomorrow morning.
TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Sunny weather continues with warmer afternoons. Highs will be in the mid to upper 60s tomorrow, and pretty close to 70 degrees Friday, which is over ten degrees above average for mid-December in Alabama. Clouds will increase Friday night.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A cold front will bring periods of rain and a few thunderstorms to the state Saturday. It won’t rain all day, and rain amounts should be around 1/2 inch. No severe storms are expected at this point due to limited instability and weak dynamics. Sunday will be mostly cloudy and colder; an upper trough will bring some risk of light rain to the state late in the day and Sunday night. The high Sunday will be in the low to mid 50s.
NEXT WEEK: We should note the latest run of the European global model is now in pretty good agreement with the American GFS model; the rogue snow event is off the board. Any lingering light rain should end early in the day Monday, followed by clearing. The high will be in the 46-52 degree range over the northern half of the state. Tuesday will be dry, followed by some risk of patchy light rain Wednesday. Global models continue to advertise a more signifiant rain event at the end of the week on Friday (December 17)… See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.
CHRISTMAS PEEK: No way of knowing specific weather, of course, but the pattern seems to favor relatively mild weather for the Southeast U.S. during the last ten days of the month… not good for those dreaming of a white Christmas. Of course, the climatological probably of snow falling on Christmas Day in Alabama is under one percent. Our event in 2010 was a potential once in a lifetime snow on December 25.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday, Alabama will take on Arkansas in Fayetteville (11:00a CT kickoff)… the weather looks dry but cold. The sky will be mostly cloudy with temperatures holding in the low to mid 40s during the game. Then, Saturday evening, Auburn travels to Starkville to taken on Mississippi State (6:30p CT kickoff). The sky will be cloudy, and some light rain is possible during the game; temperatures will fall through the 50s.
ON THIS DATE IN 2003: Although it never threatened land, a subtropical storm became Tropical Storm Peter approx. 700 miles WNW of the Cape Verde Islands. Combined with Tropical Storm Odette from earlier in the month, this is the first time since 1887 that two tropical storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in December.
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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
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James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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