Unsettled Weather This Week; Strong Storms Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning
WARMING TREND BEGINS THIS AFTERNOON: Temperatures are below freezing over parts of East Alabama early this morning, but a warming trend begins later today as temperatures rise into the 60s; some South Alabama communities will see low 70s. The day will be dry, but clouds will gradually increase. Showers are possible late tonight and tomorrow statewide, but nothing especially heavy. Otherwise, tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with a high in the 68-73 degree range.
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Scattered showers are possible Wednesday, but a decent part of the day should be dry and mild with afternoon temperatures reaching the low 70s, almost 20 degrees above average for January. Then, a cold front will push a band of showers and thunderstorms into the state Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
SPC has defined a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe storms for the northwest corner of the state Wednesday night, but for now they don’t have a formal risk defined for Thursday morning.
Displacement south from the main dynamics in tandem with marginal thermodynamics should limit the overall severe potential for Alabama with this system, but should instability values rise higher than forecast now, some risk of severe storms might have to be introduced. The main window for the heavier storms will come from about midnight Wednesday night through noon Thursday. Rain amounts of around one inch are expected.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Friday will be a mostly sunny, cooler day with a high in the 50s over North Alabama, with 60s to the south. Then, the next weather system will bring more rain into Alabama over the weekend. Periods of rain are likely Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 50s. Some thunder is possible, but there is no risk of severe storms.
NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday looks dry with seasonal temperatures, but more rain arrives at mid-week on Wednesday. Highs will be in the 50s much of the week… See the daily Weather Briefing video for maps, graphics, and more details.
LAST THURSDAY: NWS has completed their survey work; a total of 14 tornadoes touched down across Alabama. The most significant was a long track EF-3 that moved across parts of Autauga, Elmore, Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Chambers counties. This tornado was responsible for seven deaths northwest of Prattville in Autauga County.
ON THIS DATE IN 2018: A winter storm brought snow to Alabama; the heaviest was along the I-85 corridor in the broad area from Montgomery to Opelika, with amounts of 2-4 inches were common.
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!
Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Weather Xtreme Videos
About the Author (Author Profile)
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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