Watching The Mid-Week Storm

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Today will be another cool and dry day, but most of the attention will be on our mid-week storm. Not a whole lot of change here in our thinking.

TOMORROW: Clouds invade Alabama quickly tomorrow morning, and there should be a period of virga tomorrow afternoon (rain that evaporates before reaching the ground). Evaporation will result in cooling of the lower column of the atmosphere, and temperatures will be pretty cold tomorrow evening as rain begins to reach the ground. There is a window for a few snow flakes that would be mixed with the rain tomorrow night over the northern quarter of Alabama, north of U.S. 278, or north of a line from Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden, but for most of these places temperatures should be above freezing so there won’t be any issues.

We need to mention that the one potential trouble spot is the northeast corner of Alabama, especially up on Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County, and the high terrain spots in Jackson County. Temperatures there could drop to 30 degrees or so for a few hours, so some freezing rain will be possible, mainly in the 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. time frame. So, a little bridge icing in these places is sure not out of the question. But, icing issues should be rather limited.

THURSDAY: During the pre-dawn hours, temperatures should hold steady, or slowly rise with warm air advection going on with our coastal low. We do not expect any travel problems, just a cold rain, along the I-20 corridor, including Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Anniston. All of the rain should end by mid-morning Thursday.

TO THE NORTHEAST: We need to mention that freezing rain will be more of an issue over the northern quarter of Georgia, mainly north of Atlanta, tomorrow night, so if you plan on traveling up that way bridge icing is more likely. Watch the Weather Xtreme video for the graphics associated with this. And, if you want some real good snow from this, the mountains of East Tennessee, Northeast Georgia, and far West North Carolina could get over 5 inches.

FRIDAY: The GFS is beginning to come around and agree with the ECMWF and GEM idea of some precipitation with the Arctic front Friday night; it would be very light, but a few snow showers could be found across North Alabama Friday night or during the pre-dawn hours Saturday. Also, we might look at mentioning the chance of a rain shower during the day Friday in advance of the front.

BITTER COLD WEEKEND: We might have a hard time getting above freezing on Saturday; we will forecast a high in the mid 30s for Birmingham; Huntsville might remain in the 20s all day. Just look up north and see the kind of cold air heading this way (International Falls, MN is around 20 below right now). Teens are likely by daybreak Sunday; we are forecasting an average low of 18; the colder valleys north of Birmingham could be close to 10.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: The 06Z run of the GFS holds off the next storm system until Tuesday of next week, and thickness values suggest all rain with that wave. The pattern continues to look rather cold and unsettled for the rest of the month.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left. We have an all new show available; the show notes will be posted here shortly.

STORM ALERT 2008: Yep, we are getting ready to hit the road for our annual severe weather tour across Alabama in February. We will post the schedule in a few days….. we hope to see you along the tour this year.

Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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