Dry Through Friday; Colder Tomorrow

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

COLD DECEMBER MORNING: Coldest place I can find in Alabama this morning is Russellville with 19 degrees… it is 20 at daybreak at Haleyville and Black Creek. The sky is clear, and the wind is light. The day ahead will feature a sunny sky along with a high in the mid 50s.

NEW SURGE OF COLDER AIR: We note this morning at daybreak the temperature at Crookston, Minnesota is -24 (F) with a wind chill index of -42 (F). Thankfully the air will modify as it moves south, but we will trend colder tomorrow. Despite a sunny sky, the high will drop back into the mid to upper 40s tomorrow afternoon. Early morning lows will remain in the 20s through Friday morning.

The weather will stay dry Friday, but clouds will increase late in the day, and rain will likely enter West Alabama late Friday night, mostly after midnight.

WET SATURDAY: The main window for rain with the next wave will come from about 3:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Saturday. A surface low supported by a decent upper trough will move right on top of Alabama, and we still project rain amounts in the 1/2 to 1 inch range. There might be a bit of thunder, especially over South Alabama, but no real surface based instability means no severe weather problems. We might touch 60 degrees Saturday afternoon.

COLDER SUNDAY: Sunday will be dry with returning sunshine, but the day will be colder with a high in the 45-49 degree range over the northern half of the state along with a cool north wind of 10-20 mph. We will drop into the 20s again early Monday morning.

NEXT WEEK: The first half of the week looks rain-free with seasonal temperatures; highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.

CHRISTMAS WEATHER: There is very little skill in a specific forecast beyond seven days, so nobody knows what will happen now, but global models have tried to suggest from time to time another shot of very cold Arctic air moving down into the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. The European (ECMWF) hints at the Arctic Oscillation (AO) trying to go negative toward the end of December, which could open the door for a potential dump of cold air, but this is just speculation now.

See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and details.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram

I have a weather program this morning at Walter Kennedy Elementary in Pell City… and this evening I will be at the Walmart on Highway 150 in Hoover for another Toys for Tots event with the U.S. Marines. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: sunny

Category: Alabama's Weather