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THIS AFTERNOON: We had forecast a high of 39 today… a few spots will reach that over far West Alabama, but most places are having a hard time getting above the freezing mark on this very cold Wednesday. And, as expected, the strong impulse moving through South Alabama managed to squeeze out a few snow flakes, but nothing significant. Scroll down for a few snow pictures/videos from Sumter and Marengo Counties in West-Central Alabama. We had had reports of flurries as far south as Elba and Brewton. The sky is clearing over West Alabama now, and the sky will become clear statewide tonight as the disturbance moves southeast of Alabama.
TONIGHT: Yet another hard freeze. The average low will be close to 20, but clearly the colder pockets will see lows in the teens.
TOMORROW/FRIDAY: We begin to warm up a bit tomorrow afternoon as we rise into the mid 40s, and mid 50s are likely Friday. Dry air means a good supply of sunshine both days.
WEEKEND STORM SYSTEM: A strong storm system will impact Alabama over the weekend. Clouds return late Friday night, and periods of rain are likely from about 2:00 p.m. Saturday through 2:00 a.m. Sunday. Considering the strength of the system, we might even hear a little thunder in spots. And, the models continue to be a little more aggressive with the rain totals… not projecting amounts of 1/2 to 1 inch for the northern half of the state.
SNOW SUNDAY? Another Arctic blast blows into Alabama late Saturday night, and the rain could change to snow for a brief time during the pre-dawn hours Sunday. Then, Sunday will feature occasional light snow or snow flurries with temperatures falling into the low to mid 30s along with an icy northwest wind.
Watch the Weather Xtreme video for more details on the weekend system… most guidance we have now hints that a dusting to one inch of snow will be possible Sunday, especially across high terrain of Northeast Alabama (Jackson, DeKalb, Cherokee, Marshall, Etowah Counties). Snow events like this are rarely a big issue, but they can make the ground white getting everybody excited. We will fine tune the forecast as we get closer to the weekend.
DEEP FREEZE EARLY NEXT WEEK: We will have a hard time climbing above freezing Monday with a gusty wind keeping wind chill index values in the teens. The coldest morning should come early Tuesday, with most places dropping into the 16 to 20 degree range, with colder valleys and protected areas making a run at 10 degrees.
A warming trend then begins Tuesday afternoon, which will last through mid-week. And, we note the 12Z GFS has shown some hint of a little light rain breaking out over the state by Wednesday or Wednesday night.
VOODOO LAND: Again, there is no way we (or anybody else) can know what to expect at Christmas time… check out the Weather Xtreme video for some idea from the 12Z operational GFS.
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I had a great time today visiting with the 3rd graders at Helena Intermediate School… be sure and watch for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. I will be live at Applebee’s on Highway 150 in Hoover at 5 and 6 as we push our Toys for Tots campaign… hope to see many of you there. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
