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Rain amounts over the weekend were very beneficial for the southern half of Alabama; Mobile measured a whopping 4.30″. But, the northern counties were short changed thanks to the inflow being interrupted by the big mass of rain and storms to the south. Amounts were generally a quarter inch or less, barely enough to settle the pollen. But, the chance of wet weather is not over.
In fact, as I write this update at 5:30 a.m. a nice band of showers and storms is showing up across the central part of the state, generally from Greensboro to Verbena. A moist airmass will linger across Alabama today, and with the daytime heating process a few widely scattered showers and storms will probably form later today around the I-20 corridor.
TOMORROW/WEDNESDAY: A cold front will move North Alabama Wednesday morning; in advance of that front a few scattered showers and storms are possible tomorrow afternoon, but the best chance of organized rain will come tomorrow night into early Wednesday morning. The NAM is printing 1.01″ for Birmingham through Wednesday, while the GFS shows 0.71″. We lean toward the drier GFS solution; we figure rainfall amounts will average around 1/2 inch. But, due to the scattered nature of thunderstorms today and tomorrow rain amounts will vary a good bit from neighborhood to neighborhood.
APRIL COLD SNAP: Much cooler air rolls into Alabama Wednesday and Thursday. The high Wednesday will be in the 68 to 71 degree range, while on Thursday we will have a hard time getting over 60 degrees with a very cool north breeze. The cold air will continue to deepen Friday through Sunday with highs in the upper 50s and lows down in the 30s. Looks like our coldest mornings will come early Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures in the 30 to 37 degree range. It is likely that frost will form, especially Sunday morning when the wind will be calmer, and some of the colder spots will have a light freeze.
LONG RANGE: The 00Z GFS shows a nice rain event April 10, and another one April 17, but that is voodoo and the timing will probably change. Still, we figure the weather this month will be cooler and wetter than March for all of the Deep South.
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I will be speaking to a big group from Alabama Power this morning at a safety meeting; I will be back in the office by early afternoon and the afternoon edition of the Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 3:30. Enjoy the day!
