An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…
Before we dive into events expected next week, we will have a band of showers in here tonight; rain amounts should be a quarter of an inch or less. Most of the showers will end soon after midnight as the wave moves on to the east.
GREAT WEEKEND: A good supply of sunshine tomorrow and Sunday as the warming trend continues; look for mid 60s tomorrow, and low 70s on Sunday.
STORM NUMBER ONE: The first storm system early next week with be a very dynamic one, with very strong wind fields at the surface and aloft, along with very steep lapse rates. We will continue to mention a chance of strong to severe storms Monday afternoon and Monday night, but the exact threat will depend on the track of the surface low. The ECMWF and the NAM suggest all of Alabama will have a severe weather risk with the surface low running from near Vicksburg to Knoxville. But, the GFS shows the surface low moving across Central Alabama, which would confine the severe weather threat to the southern half of the state, especially Southeast Alabama.
We will be able to fine tune this forecast over the weekend, but SPC has all of Alabama in a severe weather risk for Monday afternoon and Monday night, and I think that is the right course of action for now. All of the state can expect one to two inches of rain.
A deep, cold core upper low will sit right on top of Alabama Tuesday. These things can bring the most experienced forecaster to their knees… but for now we will just mention a chance of wrap around snow showers on Tuesday with no significant accumulation. The best chance of a good accumulating snow seems to be up over parts of Tennessee and Kentucky. Otherwise, Tuesday will be cold and blustery with temperatures having a hard time getting out of the 30s. The GFS MOS for Tuesday is almost laughable.
STORM NUMBER TWO: An Arctic front will pass through Alabama Thursday with a chance of showers. Then, the front will stall over the northern Gulf of Mexico, and a wave of low pressure is forecast to form along the front in response to an upper trough. This wave has the potential to bring a chance of snow or freezing rain to parts of Alabama Thursday night and Friday morning. I don’t want to get too specific now since we really need to get storm number one out of here before confidence is high in dealing with storm number two. But be aware that this could be an issue late next week.
INTO THE LAND OF VOODOO: The following weekend, March 8-9, looks dry and warmer. Beyond that, the wave train rolls along, and a number of other storm systems can be expected through the rest of March. And, don’t forget, we do on Daylight Saving Time March 9 this year.
SPECIAL ABC 33/40 NOAA WEATHER RADIO OFFER: You can purchase a top of the line Midland NOAA Weather Radio at any Handy TV location in this part of Alabama for only $29.95. These receivers have the new digital technology that allows you to choose the counties for which the alarm sounds. Get more information here. Brian Peters and Jason Simpson had quite a crowd this morning at the Handy TV location up in Cullman; they were programming Weather Radio receivers for those that needed help. We plan on more of these in other locations next week… stay tuned for details.
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.
I had a great time visiting with all of the first graders this morning at Hall-Kent Elementary School in Homewood; be looking for them on ABC 33/40 News today at 5:00 on the KIDCAM. Brian Peters will have the Weather Xtreme videos over the weekend… my next one will be posted bright and early Monday morning by 7:00. Stay tuned to the blog over the weekend for the latest on both storm systems next week… very interesting times ahead in the weather office!
