Big Time Cold Early Next Week

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COLD IS THE WORD: At daybreak, temperatures are generally in the 17-22 degree range across North/Central Alabama. A north wind of around 10 mph is producing single digit wind chill values in many places, and the sky is generally clear.

Today will feature a sunny sky, but the high will be only in the mid 30s. Winds will slowly die down during the midday hours.

SUNNY SATURDAY: We begin the day tomorrow with a low between 20 and 24 degrees for most places; the sky will remain mostly sunny, and it will be a nice day for the BBVA Compass Bowl at Birmingham’s Legion Field (kickoff at 12:00 noon CT) with a high in the 47-50 degree range.

SUNDAY SHOWERS: The Arctic front will approach Alabama Sunday; during the day the sky will be mostly cloudy with rain showers breaking out. For this part of the state, a decent chance we reach the low to mid 50s Sunday before the big time cold reaches us.

SNOW SUNDAY EVENING: As cold air rushes into Alabama, there is a good chance the rain will change to snow before ending Sunday evening. I would suggest the best window for snow around here (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Gadsden) will come from about 4:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight.

I do think there could be some light accumulation (1/2 inch or less) north of U.S. 278, or a line from Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden. South of that a dusting is possible down to I-20. The snow in most cases shouldn’t pose any serious problems, but a few slick spots could develop over the Tennessee Valley. Strong winds, the cold, dry air will keep most roads dry, however.

COLDEST AIR IN A DECADE: We should drop below freezing Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m… and stay below freezing until around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday. That would be 62 consecutive hours below 32 degrees.

We are projecting highs Monday and Tuesday only in the upper 20s. The coldest morning will come early Tuesday with a low between 8 and 13 degrees… our friends up in the Tennessee Valley could see lows in the 5 degree range. This will be our coldest morning since January 24, 2003, when Birmingham’s low was 7 degrees.

But clearly Wednesday morning will be very cold, and the latest GFS is printing a low of 10 degrees for Birmingham, so it might be just as cold as Tuesday with a clear sky and light wind… good conditions for radiational cooling.

Now is the time to think about the things you need to do to prepare for this… be sure and check on elderly people you know that might not have an adequate source of heat, and bring in those dogs and cats.

ICE PROBLEMS THURSDAY? Way too early to be really specific, but the GFS hints at some risk of freezing rain over parts of Northeast Alabama and North Georgia Thursday with the next impulse. A wedge type setup shows up with rain falling along with surface temperatures below freezing. No way to resolve this so far in advance, but just something to watch in coming days. See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and details.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WEATHER: For now it looks like routine southern California weather for Auburn fans making the trip out west. No rain for the next 7 days at Pasadena, CA; highs are in the 70s, with lows between 47 and 52. Lots of sun.

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Tags: cold

Category: Alabama's Weather