Winter Preview For Alabama Through Mid-Week

COLD: Today will feature a cloudless sky over Alabama, but temperatures won’t get past the mid 50s over the northern half of the state with a very cool northwest wind of 10-20 mph. This is what we expect in early January; for example the average high for Birmingham on January 1 is 54. Some places could establish a new record low maximum today… the current “record low high” for Birmingham today is 55, set in 1955.

With a clear sky and diminishing wind, freezing temperatures are likely over much of the state late tonight/early tomorrow morning with lows in the 25-32 degree range… a freeze warning is in effect all the way down to I-10, including Mobile. The only part of the state not in a freeze warning is the southeast corner of the state, but even there places like Dothan will likely see frost.

New record lows will likely be established early tomorrow in some places; here are the record lows for October 19

Huntsville 25 (1948)
Tuscaloosa 28 (1948)
Birmingham 29 (1948)
Anniston 30 (1948)
Montgomery 34 (1948)
Mobile 38 (1989)

Tomorrow will be another sunny, cool day with a high in the 57-60 degree range. Then, another freeze is likely early Thursday morning for much of the state with lows back down in the upper 20s and low 30s. Then, a warming trend begins Thursday afternoon with a high in the mid 60s.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Dry weather continues… expect sunny pleasant days and clear cool nights. The high Friday will be in the low 70s, followed by mid to upper 70s over the weekend. Lows will be mostly in the 40s, but colder spots will be in the 30s early Friday morning.

NEXT WEEK: Global models now suggest our next chance of showers will be around the middle of the week, most likely on Wednesday. For the moment it doesn’t look like an especially big rain event… highs for the first half of the week will be in the 70s, followed by mid to upper 60s Thursday and Friday. See the daily Weather Briefing video for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains very quiet and tropical storm formation is not expected through the weekend. Hurricane season ends November 30.

ON THIS DATE IN 1916: A likely category three hurricane moved into the eastern part of the Alabama Gulf Coast, with landfall near Orange Beach and Perdido Key. The maximum wind velocity at Mobile was 115 mph from the east at 8:25 a.m. Pensacola had winds of 120 mph at 10:13 a.m. when the wind instrument tower was blown down.

ON THIS DATE IN 2007: A destructive fall tornado hit Nappanee, Indiana causing extensive damage along its 20-mile path across northeast Marshall, Northwest Kosciusko and southwest Elkhart Counties. High-end EF3 intensity winds near 165 mph were estimated based on the most severe damage over southeast Nappanee.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

Look for the next Weather Briefing video here by 3:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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