Looking At The Alabama Snow Potential
New model data has arrived, and here are some thoughts. Still looks like a good chance the rain changes to snow before the big storm lifts out early Wednesday morning.
TIMING: The window for snow over North/Central Alabama is from near 11:00 p.m. tomorrow through 5:00 a.m. Wednesday. Many of you will sleep right through this event.
ACCUMULATION? The new 00Z NAM is a little more aggressive with snow potential for Northeast Alabama. Below is the projected snow depth at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday…
You can see from this graphic potential for over two inches of snow for parts of Northeast Alabama. But, of course, what actually happens won’t look like this; it is just model output.
Below is the forecast surface map valid at midnight tomorrow night…
Pretty much a classic case of cold air advection on the back side of a departing storm system turing rain to snow. Usually in this situation, accumulation is pretty light and spotty, but there can be a few strips of heavier snow.
Keep in mind the ground will be very wet from 2 to 3 inches of rain, so initially much of the snow will just melt on the wet ground. But, it looks like we might have around two hours of light snow, and that duration might be sufficient for light accumulation, perhaps to one inch, mostly on grass, and mainly over Northeast Alabama. Some of the counties with potential for one inch of snow on grass include Jackson, DeKalb, Cherokee, Marshall, Blount, and Etowah.
TRAVEL ISSUES? I still think the snow won’t create too many travel issues, but temperatures will head down into the 20s by daybreak Wednesday, and standing water from the big rain could freeze, meaning potential for a few slick spots on bridges and overpasses. So, everybody over North and Central Alabama will need to get up early Wednesday and check driving conditions before you leave.
The sky will clear during the day Wednesday, but the weather will be windy and cold with temperatures failing to get out of the 30s.
I will have a full update and Weather Xtreme video posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. Stay tuned…
Category: Alabama's Weather
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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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