One More Dry Day; Rain Returns Over The Weekend

SUNNY, COOL DECEMBER DAY: Once again today we have sunshine in full force across Alabama, and temperatures remain below average with 40s and 50s across the state. Tonight will be clear and cold again; most places will see a low in the 25-30 degree range early tomorrow. Then, during the day tomorrow, the weather stays dry with a partly sunny sky. The high tomorrow afternoon will be in the 54-58 degree range. Clouds thicken tomorrow night.

RAIN RETURNS OVER THE WEEKEND: Saturday will be a cloudy day, and rain will spread northward quickly statewide as a low pressure area moves out of the Gulf of Mexico. Rain becomes widespread Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, and into a decent part of the day Sunday. The air will be cool and stable with highs in the 50s, so severe storms this time. Probably not much thunder. Heaviest rain will fall over South Alabama, where amounts of 2-4 inches are likely. Totals over North/Central Alabama will be in the 1-2 inch range, with lighter amounts to the north over the Tennessee Valley.

CHRISTMAS WEEK: The week looks dry and uneventful; mostly sunny mild days and clear chilly nights. Highs mostly in the 60s, lows in the 30s and 40s. Moisture will increase late in the week on Friday, but new global model data suggests the next rain will hold off until sometime over the following weekend (December 28-29). See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

RAIN UPDATE: Here are rain totals since January 1, and the departure from average…

Mobile 61.61″ (-2.35″)
Tuscaloosa 58.47″ (+7.59″)
Huntsville 56.20″ (+4.12″)
Anniston 51.57″ (+3.49″)
Birmingham 49.89″ (-2.12″)
Montgomery 45.14″ (-5.97″)

ON THIS DATE IN 2009: Snowfall totals from 1 to 2 feet were commonplace in what will go down as one of the biggest snowstorms in history on the East Coast and the first of four snowstorms for the Mid-Atlantic during the winter of 2009-10. The 15 inches of snow measured at Reagan International Airport on Dec. 19th was the third-highest daily snowfall on any calendar day at Washington, DC, since snowfall records began in 1884. The total storm snowfall of 16.4 inches on Dec 18-19 2009 marks the 6th highest two-day snowfall record for Washington, DC putting it just below the second President’s Day storm in 2003 and ahead of the Jan 1996 storm. Baltimore Washington Airport saw 20.5 inches of snow and went down as the fifth-highest daily snowfall on any calendar day in Baltimore since snowfall records began in 1893.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.