The Monday afternoon edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
BLOG ISSUES: We are aware of the problems with the blog script today… and I do apologize for the issues. Posts and comments seem to come and go at random times. This started over the weekend when we upgraded to a new server which will allow us to handle higher traffic volume. I am confident our friends at the server farm will get this figured out shortly.
COLD COLD COLD: I was out shooting a 30 second TV spot in Alabaster this morning at Veterans Park; even with full sunshine it was uncomfortably cold for everyone involved. And, I am a cold weather fan. I rarely wear a jacket unless the temperature goes below 35. Most spots are sitting in the mid 40s as I write this; the north wind is pulling down Arctic air from the frozen tundra of the northern U.S. See J.B.’s “Weather By The Numbers” for a look at the severe cold impacting much of the Great Lakes and the Upper Midwest part of the nation. I note Nashville is well below freezing at 2:00 (27 degrees!).
We well drop well down in the 20s tonight; colder spots over North Alabama might even reach the upper teens.
REST OF THE WEEK: We expect a warming trend beginning tomorrow when we rise into the 50s. By Wednesday, upper 50s are possible, and a few spots over West Alabama might even touch the 60 degree mark. Clouds will increase on Wednesday as moist air moves in from the south.
Still looks like we need to mention some risk of scattered light rain Thursday and Thursday night. I note that the Japanese JMA is wetter and colder than the GFS on Thursday and Friday; it even hints at some snow up in Tennessee, and maybe extreme North Alabama Thursday night into Friday. We won’t jump on that bandwagon yet, but I do think the GFS numbers are way too warm, as usual. Colder air will begin to drop in here on Friday.
WEEKEND PEEK: For the moment, the weather looks dry but rather chilly on Saturday and Sunday, with highs in the mid to upper 40s and lows down in the 20s.
LONG RANGE: The GFS is forecasting the AO (Arctic Oscillation) to remain negative through the next two weeks, which means any warming here should be short lived. With the occasional shots of cold air and southern jet stream energy becoming available again, I still think we will have more situations with snow and ice threats on the southern edge of the Arctic air over parts of the southern U.S. Last week, it was snow for Memphis, Nashville, Huntsville, Asheville, Greenville (SC), and Charlotte. Could these cities see more snow later in the month? You bet. Can the snow extend down to I-20? Possible, but no evidence of that right now. Expect the unexpected for the rest of February.
STORM ALERT 2007: We will be in Oneonta this Thursday night; the show begins at 7:00 at the high school auditorium; we sure hope to see you there. You can see more about the show and the remaining schedule here.
Again, I apologize for the problems with the blog today… I hope they are corrected this evening so all will be back to normal tomorrow. Have a great Monday evening…
