Football weather, cold air here

People have been wondering about weather for the Outback Bowl in Tampa, between Auburn and Northwestern, on New Year’s Day at 10:00 am CST, and people are already wanting some long range prediction for the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA next Thursday at 7:00 pm CST.

For the Outback Bowl, since a lot of Auburn fans will be traveling tonight and tomorrow, expect rain to increase here in BHM this afternoon and tonight, but most of the rain should be tapering off by tomorrow morning. In Tampa, there will be scattared showers around during the game, with temperatures in the lower 60s, so take the rain gear and a jacket. If you’re staying for the weekend, it looks mostly sunny and cool, with lows near 40 and highs in the lower 60s. Much warmer than here.

For Pasadena, it’s still a little too early for specifics. A Pacific storm will try to come into northern California, but right now it looks like southern California will stay dry, but that is a very early forecast. Game temperatures there should also be near 60.

We are still looking for a long period of cold weather over the next week here in Alabama, with lows 15 to 25 and highs in the 30s starting Saturday. Its not so much the severity of the cold (it’s not going below zero), but it’s the longevity of the cold, with many locations in north and central Alabama having only 5 or 6 hours each day above freezing, if that. This creates a risk for burst pipes and will cause the heat to run a lot (you can help this along some by opening south facing curtains and blinds during the day, and closing all curtains and blinds completely at night; you can also turn the thermostat down when you plan to be away from home for several hours…it does not take more energy to “catch up” when you get home). Also, make sure outdoor pets have plenty of clean, not frozen water, and try to bring them in at night if possible. If not possible, make sure their doghouse door faces south or east if possible, and throw an extra towel or blanket in there.

For your meteorological consulting needs, Coleman and Peters, LLC, can provide you with accurate, detailed information on past storms, lightning, flooding, and wind damage. Whether it is an insurance claim needing validation or a court case where weather was a factor, we can furnish you with information you need. Please call us at (205) 568-4401.

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