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HEADED INTO THE DEEP FREEZE: While today will relatively pleasant, with a sunny sky and a high in the upper 40s, the Arctic Express blows in here tomorrow with some seriously cold air.
No change in our thinking at all. We will struggle to climb above freezing tomorrow; and the fierce northwest wind will drive wind chill index values down into the single digits, touching zero at times in Birmingham, and dropping into the sub-zero range to the north of here. Those that work outdoors will need to really plan carefully for layered, warm clothing and occasional breaks.
FRIDAY MORNING: Most communities will be somewhere in the 10 to 15 degree range. I am using 12 degrees Friday morning, and if we hit that, it will be the coldest morning in just about six years. The last time it was that cold was on January 24, 2003, when we dropped to 7 degrees. The colder valleys are headed for the 4 to 9 degree range, which the ridge tops, above 1,500 feet, will be in the upper teens up in the inversion layer.
The day Friday won’t be as raw with full sunshine and a lighter wind, but the high will be only in the mid 30s, which is about 20 degrees below average values for mid-January in Alabama.
I have concern Saturday morning will be just as cold as Friday morning, with many places seeing a low in the 10 to 15 degree range again.
THE WEEKEND: Not much change in the idea for Sunday; a strong vorticity max rotating through the bottom of the deep upper trough could squeeze out a little light rain or light snow, but moisture is pretty much absent, and it should not amount to much.
NEXT WEEK: I will need to revise the numbers down for Monday and Tuesday; the weather stays pretty cold with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s, with teens for colder valleys. We slowly moderate after that, and there is no sign of any big precipitation event for most of the week at this time.
THE LAND OF VOODOO: The NAO flips positive during the last 10 days of the month, so we are pretty confident that the coldest days of January 2009 for Alabama will be tomorrow through Saturday. But, a positive NAO doesn’t mean we will have tropical warmth; occasional cold shots do show up from time to time. And, no sign of any major storm systems at this point. We might be primed for another Arctic blast in February. Winter is just beginning, you know.
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I will be speaking out at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover this morning… that is always a fun school to visit. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
