Late Night Check on Conditions

Looking at 11 p.m. obs…

Birmingham…still 42F but dewpoint fell back to 18F.
Tuscaloosa is 44F/19F.
Haleyville was down to 34F.
Golden Triangle Airport (Columbus MS) was down to 39F.
It was 37F in Memphis and 31F in Jackson TN.

You can expect evaporative cooling to drop the temperature readings about 1/3 of the spread between the temperature and dewpoint. So Birmingham’s 42 should fall 8 degrees to about 34F.

Drier (and colder) air is flowing in from the north.

Up at 5000 feet, temperatures were just below freezing on the 6 p.m. balloon launch at Shelby County Airport. This 850 mb temperature should fall below freezing if not already. There was a pocket of freezing air just below 5000 feet.

We have gotten reports of light rain and sleet from Columbus, MS and from Reform in Pickens County. Snow at higher altitudes is melting then refreezing in that second layer of colder air just above the surface.

A little light wintry mix at Cottondale. SLeet at Lake Tuscaloosa.

Light rain in Cuba (Sumter County) with 39 degrees.

Radars are quite active, with returns showing up over Northeast Alabama and over much of western Alabama. Much of this precipitation is not yet reaching the ground. It will take a while for the atmosphere to moisten from the evaporating precip. This will produce evaporative cooling effects.

Most areas will start with a light wintry mix changing over to snow during the early morning hours. A band of heavy snow will setup somewhere between I-20 and US-80. A heavy snow warning is in effect for parts of Central Alabama. Much of this area will receive between 2-4 inches of snow with 3-6 inches in about a 50 mile wide band. Areas from Selma to east of Marion to Jemison to Roanoke down to Auburn, over to south of Montgomery and back to near Selma.

North to about Millport – Sumiton – Cullman to Bridgeport, 1 to 2 inches will fall. A Winter Weather/Snow Advisory is in effect for these areas.

Tomorrow will be cloudy and very cold with highs struggling to stay much above freezing and a cold north wind at 10-20 mph. Precipitation should begin to taper during the afternoon from the west.

Travel will be very difficult in the winter weather advisory and warning areas through late Sunday morning and is not advised.

Bitterly cold tomorrow night with clear skies and light winds. Readings will be generally in the teens, but some single digits will register, especially in areas with snow cover.

Please check the later weather conditions through tonight and Saturday before planning activities.

JB and I will have continuous updates through the night from our team of weather watchers.

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