Frigid Air Covers Alabama
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THIS MORNING: Looking at the radar, you might think snow flakes would be flying across parts of West and South Alabama, but as we have discussed for days, the air in the lower 10,000 feet is very, very dry, and nothing is reaching the ground. In fact, finding any surface reports of precipitation are very hard across the Deep South despite the echoes on radar; we have a few reports of snow flurries near Vicksburg, MS, and there is some light rain over Louisiana.
Temperatures bottomed out around midnight here, but we are still very cold, with most spots in the 20s. Our Skywatcher up in Broomtown in Cherokee County just checked in with 18 degrees.
Today will be a little colder than yesterday; most places won’t see 40 degrees with only a limited amount of sunshine and more cold air advection in the wake of the wave producing the virga across the region.
TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Yet another hard freeze is ahead tomorrow morning, with average lows around 20. The colder pockets will be in the teens once again, but we begin a slow warm-up tomorrow afternoon with a high in the mid to upper 40s. Friday will feature a good supply of sunshine with a high in the mid 50s.
RAIN RETURNS SATURDAY: A strong wave will spin up a surface low north of Alabama over the weekend. We expect the main window for rain from about 2:00 p.m. Saturday through 2:00 a.m. Sunday, and rain amounts of 1/2 inch are likely, with some spots possibly getting 3/4 inch. There might even be a little thunder due to the excellent dynamic forcing, but no severe weather is expected.
SNOW ON SUNDAY? Another shot of very cold air moves into Alabama over the latter half of the weekend, and it looks colder than the air we have seen in recent days. Temperatures will drop into the 30s, and there will be a decent amount of residual moisture that would mean occasional light snow or snow flurries. This setup usually doesn’t bring accumulating snow, but some places, especially high terrain over Northeast Alabama, could very well see a dusting to one inch.
IN THE DEEP FREEZE AGAIN: It is beginning to look like we stay below freezing all day Monday, with a gusty north wind pushing the wind chill index down in the teens much of the day. Then, the coldest morning will come early Tuesday of next week with a light wind and clear sky. Most communities will be in the 17 to 20 degree range, and the colder spots will make a run at 10 degrees. Then, a slow warming trend begins Tuesday afternoon.
THE LAND OF VOODOO: Watch the Weather Xtreme video… still no consistency in the operational runs of the GFS, but the North Atlantic Oscillation is still forecast to remain strongly negative for the next two weeks, meaning warm-ups will be temporary. Still way too early to determine the weather for Alabama at Christmas.
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| J. B. Elliott | Bill Murray | Brian Peters |
| Dr. Tim Coleman | WeatherBrains Podcast | E-Warn (AL wx watches/warnings) |
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I will be doing a weather program this morning at Helena Intermediate School… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather
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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