Grey Sky Day

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THIS AFTERNOON: Low clouds cover the northern half of Alabama this afternoon, with areas of light rain and drizzle. Temperatures generally range from the mid 40s to the mid 50s. We will maintain the chance of light rain into the evening, but most of the organized rain should be well east of the state by midnight.

TOMORROW: Morning clouds should give way to a partly sunny sky, with a high in the mid to upper 40s.

THURSDAY: Clouds return quickly, and we warm well into the 50s by afternoon. The NAM is even suggesting we reach the low 60s, which I guess is possible where there is a decent amount of morning sunshine before the clouds arrive. Rain moves into the state by the evening hours, while our friends to the north see a good snow through parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.

SNOW FOR ALABAMA? A close call for the Tennessee Valley; looks like a dusting to 1/2 inch is possible for places like Muscle Shoals, Athens, and Huntsville. The ground will be relatively warm, so it will take a while for the snow to get into the accumulation mode. Down this way, there is still a chance the rain will end with a brief chance to snow flurries or freezing drizzle, but nothing really significant is expected. If we do see a snow flake or two down to the I-20 corridor, more than likely it happens between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m., so most of you will be sleeping through it.

We will still have to watch for bridge icing early Friday as the moisture from Thursday night’s rain won’t have time to completely evaporate.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY: Very cold air returns to Alabama; the high Friday will be only in the mid 30s with an icy north wind, and by Saturday morning we will be in the 15-19 degree range. A warming trend begins Saturday afternoon with a high in the low 40s. Sunday will feature ample sunshine with a high in the low 50s.

NEXT WEEK: No doubt we will have some rain on Monday or Tuesday, but still low confidence in the timing of the event due to conflicting model output. The ECMWF hints that Monday will be the biggest rain day, while the GFS holds the most widespread rain off until Tuesday. See the Weather Xtreme video for details.

THE LAND OF VOODOO: Operational global model runs continue to suggest a mean upper trough over the eastern U.S. into early February, meaning if correct that temperatures will remain below average despite the positive NAO outlooks being advertised by those same models.

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I had a great time today visiting with the kindergarten students at Weaver Elementary in Calhoun County… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…