Cold Rain Today; A Little Snow Tonight

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MISERABLE WEATHER: Widespread rain is falling across Alabama this morning. It is a cold, soaking rain with temperatures generally in the 36-44 degree range across North/Central Alabama. Our Skywatcher in Coker, just west of Tuscaloosa, reports 2.38″ of rain so far, and an additional one to two inches of rain are likely. A great day to stay indoors and get a good nap, but that won’t work for most of us.

Temperatures won’t go anywhere today, they might climb 3 to 5 degrees if we are lucky. Cold and wet.

SNOW FLAKES TONIGHT: Not much overall change in our thinking tonight. The rain should change to light snow late tonight over North/Central Alabama, but we don’t expect any major accumulation.

The main window for snow will come from about 11:00 tonight through 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, meaning most of you will sleep through it and never know it happened.

The ground will be very, very wet, so much of snow will simply melt initially as it hits the ground. But, with one to two hours of light snow possible, there could be some light accumulation on grassy areas over Northeast Alabama. Higher terrain over Jackson and DeKalb Counties could see 1/2 to 1 inch of snow on the grass. Some spots in Madison, Marshall, Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Cherokee, and Calhoun counties might see 1/4 inch on grass. But, roads will be just wet and travel issues related to snow are not expected. However…

WATCH FOR A FEW ICY SPOTS: With some parts of Alabama getting over three inches of rain by tonight, no doubt there will be some standing water, and with temperatures expected to go down into the 20s early tomorrow, there is a very real chance there will be a few patches of “black ice”. This is not due to snow, but to the leftover moisture from the rain. So, if you are driving early tomorrow, take it easy and understand some icy patches are very possible, mainly on bridges and overpasses.

Take a few minutes and watch the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and more details.

The day tomorrow will feature a clearing sky with sunshine returning, but it will be windy and cold. We don’t get out of the 30s, and some places north of Cullman will have a hard time getting above freezing. Strong north winds of 12-25 mph will keep the wind chill index below freezing most of the day across all of North/Central Alabama.

TRAVELERS: The attached map shows the various winter storm advisories, watches, and warnings up for the eastern U.S. through tomorrow.

Winter weather advisories have been issued for parts of middle and eastern Tennessee for some light snow tonight. I don’t think there will be major issues, but clearly slick spots are possible over that part of Tennessee late tonight and tomorrow morning. The really big snows will come well to the northeast, over states like West Virginia, western parts of Pennsylvania, and on up into update New York.

Wind and rain will create major issues for the big airports from Washington up through New York City and Boston. Expect major delays on the busiest travel day of the year.

THANKSGIVING DAY: Thanksgiving morning will be very, very cold. The average low will be around 20 degrees at daybreak Thursday, with many of the colder places down in the teens. But, the sky will be sunny, and the high Thursday afternoon will be in the mid 40s.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Expect sunny cool days and clear cold nights. Highs finally warm into the 50s; some places might approach 60 degrees Sunday afternoon.

IRON BOWL: No change in our thinking; the weather will be perfect for football at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday. A sunny sky at kickoff (2:30p CT) with the temperature near 55 degrees, falling to near 50 by the final whistle.

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I will be doing a weather program this morning at Holt Elementary School… be looking for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: rain, snow

Category: Alabama's Weather