The Monday afternoon edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
What a mild afternoon; considering we were as cold as 8 degrees here in Alabama this past Friday morning. At 2:00 Montgomery had reached 73 degrees, while Tuscaloosa was at 70. Most spots are about five degrees above the forecast highs for today. And, the mild weather will continue for the next seven days as the upper air winds have shut off the flow of Arctic air down into the U.S. for a while.
RAIN TO RETURN: Showers and a few storms are likely tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night as a nice short wave sweeps through the state. At this point it looks like the best chance of rain will come from about 1:00 p.m. tomorrow through 1:00 a.m. Wednesday. Rainfall amounts of 1/2 inch can be expected along with some thunder, but the chance of severe weather looks really small at this point with a fairly stable airmass and marginal wind fields.
STILL MILD: At this point our weather looks dry and mild Wednesday through Sunday, with daily highs in the 66 to 74 degree range. The latest GFS MOS suggests 72 in Birmingham on Thursday afternoon… not bad for a December day. Early morning lows will be mostly above freezing for the foreseeable future; lows will be mostly in the 40s.
LONG RANGE: The 12Z run of the GFS hints at a decent rain event around December 21, followed by a shot of colder air that will bring temperatures back down to normal levels in the December 22-25 time frame; maybe a little below normal. Again, with the NAO remaining neutral to positive we don’t expect any long lasting, severe cold air blast. The GFS is hinting the switch to negative could begin right at the end of the month, or the beginning of January.
I had a great time today seeing the fourth graders at Hamilton Elementary School… be sure and watch for them on the KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. You will also see the kids from Collins-Riverside Middle School in Northport; I spoke to the entire student body there this past Friday.
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video tomorrow morning by 7:00 a.m.!
