An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…
That was really a remarkable wind event last night… the wind was not related to thunderstorms, but due to the very sharp pressure gradient moving through Alabama. Our SKYCAM atop the Daniel Building on 20th Street downtown Birmingham reported a peak wind gust of 65 mph… you can scroll down and see all of the reports compiled by J.B. last night. Lots of tree and power line damage.
A COLD CHANGE: After flirting with 70 degrees yesterday, we are back in the deep freeze this morning with temperatures below freezing. Today will be a sunny but chilly day; we will remain below 50 this afternoon even with maximum sunshine. And, another light freeze is likely tonight. Low temperatures tonight will probably be reached around 10:00 to midnight; as clouds return the temperature could rise after midnight slowly.
ANOTHER STORM ON THE WAY: Our second storm will bring south winds back to Alabama tomorrow, but going from an Arctic airmass to a tropical airmass won’t happen in 12 hours, and getting really quality unstable air up here will be nearly impossible. So, we believe any severe weather tomorrow night will be over the far southern counties of Alabama, despite a very impressive, negative short wave trough. Looks like the main window for rain will come from about 4:00 p.m. tomorrow through 4:00 a.m. Friday. Any thunderstorms will be elevated; not rooted in the boundary layer. Conditions will become windy at times, but not as windy as last night.
The good news is that beneficial rain is likely tomorrow night; the NAM is printing 1.24″, while the GFS shows 1.32″. Bring it on.
Friday will be a cool and breezy day with gradual clearing; we should hold in the 40s all day.
NICE WEEKEND: The weekend will begin with a good supply of sunshine on Saturday; after a low in the upper 20s we will rise up to near 60 degrees. Moist air will begin to return Sunday, but we believe the day will be mostly dry. A few showers could slip in here Sunday evening.
NEXT WEEK: Another good rain event is ahead early next week; a warm front Monday will bring showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Then, on Tuesday, a strong upper trough will bring lots of upward motion, and showers and storms are a good bet Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night. This one will feature unstable air, so we will have to watch for severe thunderstorms. The latest run of the GFS (06Z) now pushes drier air back in here by Wednesday.
STORM ALERT 2008 BEGINS TOMORROW NIGHT: Our annual severe weather awareness tour across Alabama begins this week! Our first stop will at Oak Grove High School tomorrow night at 7:00; from there will have shows in Anniston, Northport, Lineville, and Moody. See the details on this year’s show, and the schedule here. We hope to see you along the way!
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left.
WEATHER PARTY: Get all the latest weather news over on our sister site, WeatherParty.com. Be sure and register while you are there; you can submit stories and vote on them to determine what is published on the front page. This is a great way to find the latest weather-related news stories.
Today I will be doing a weather program for the kids at Briarwood Elementary School… then it is back into the office where I will produce the next Weather Xtreme video; it will be posted here by 3:30 or so. Enjoy the day!
