An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…
I have enjoyed reading the many memories of April 8, 1998… if you have one to share, please post it in the comments section of the post below this one. And, don’t forget, we will have a live special on ABC 33/40 tonight called “Looking Back, Moving Forward”. It runs from 6:30 until 7:30, and at 7:30 we will carry a special memorial service live from Open Door Church, one of the many churches that lost their building in that F5 tornado that killed 32 people. I will be speaking during that service, and I am really looking forward to it.
THE ALABAMA WEATHER STORY: Sure looks like we won’t have much rain around here until Friday. A cold front will bring a band of showers and storms down into Tennessee tomorrow, but that front will stop and back up as a warm front, keeping the rain north of Alabama. A shower might pop up somewhere in the moist and unstable environment Thursday, but there is very little dynamic forcing.
While we remain generally dry through Thursday, the big show will take place to the west, where a significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is likely tomorrow and Thursday. In fact, a few violent, long track tornadoes are possible Thursday in the general region from Shreveport and Monroe, to Little Rock and Memphis, and northward to Paducah and Cape Girardeau. This might be one of those rare “high risk” days as defined by the SPC.
STORMY FRIDAY: Our primary threat of strong to severe storms in Alabama will come Friday. It still looks like the main threat will be from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Projected instability and shear values indicate that all modes of severe weather will be possible (including tornadoes), much like last Friday. Rain totals of 1.00″ to 1.50″ seem possible with these storms.
WEEKEND CHILL: A deep, long wave upper trough over the eastern U.S. will bring much cooler air into Alabama over the weekend. Looks like highs in the 60s on Saturday, and there is a good chance we won’t get out of the 50s on Sunday and Monday. I would not be shocked if the Tennessee Valley holds in the 40s on these days. And, with very cold air aloft and a series of waves rotating through the trough, we might see a little scattered light rain over the weekend.
We go into the upper 30s by early Monday, and mid 30s seems very possible Tuesday. For now, it looks like clouds will be around Monday which will prevent frost, but Tuesday looks clear with light wind, and some frost is likely. We might even see a light freeze at daybreak Tuesday over the colder valleys of North Alabama. Then, a warming trend kicks in on Wednesday of next week.
VOODOO LAND: Wow… the 12Z GFS shows a summer-like pattern for Alabama in the April 22-25 time frame, with the storm track shifting well to the north, and a strong upper ridge building around here. If that is correct, that pattern will bring the warmest weather so far this year to Alabama.
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. We just recorded a new show; we talk about the April 8, 1998 F5 tornado in Birmingham and much more.
I am headed out to Open Door Church for our live special tonight… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!
