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RIGHT NOW: Pretty brisk out there. Our Skywatcher up in Northeast Etowah County, Vic Bell, reports 34 degrees with some frost on cars. Most spots are in the 39 to 44 degree range, however, with a light north wind.
LOOKING AHEAD: We are forecasting a high of 65 today, even with maximum sunshine across Alabama. That is exactly 12 degrees below the average high for April 29. Then, tonight, with a clear sky and light wind, temperatures will drop quickly, and most folks are headed toward the upper 30s by daybreak tomorrow.
We figure the actual range tomorrow will be from 33 in the coldest valleys to 45 on the ridgetops. Some scattered light frost is a real possibility for the coldest valleys, and growers will need to monitor temperatures tonight if you are in a normally colder spot. A widespread, damaging frost is not expected, however.
A nice warming trend begins tomorrow as we climb up into the mid 70s, and low 80s are likely by Thursday.
NEXT RAIN: Still looks like our next shot at rain will come at the end of the work week. The GFS is trending faster, and it now looks like rain could enter West Alabama Friday morning, becoming widespread across the state Friday afternoon and Friday night. Severe weather doesn’t look likely at this point due to marginal instability values, and considering the fact the best upper support is well to the north (a vertically stacked low will be over Nebraska). Rain totals around one inch seem likely with this setup.
THE WEEKEND: The faster solution now means the rain should end across Alabama Saturday morning, with drier air slipping in here by Saturday afternoon. If the 12z GFS continues this trend, we can take out the chance of rain for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. At this moment it looks like our prime window for rain and storms will come from about 12:00 p.m. Friday until 9:00 a.m. Saturday.
VOODOO LAND: While no major severe weather looks show up in the medium range period, we do see a pretty good rain event showing up at the middle of next week (May 6-7), and also in the May 11-12 time frame. A mean upper trough over the eastern U.S. also means occasional shots of cool air; I might suggest temperatures will be a little below average for the first half of May if model trends are correct.
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 will record a new episode tonight.
I am headed up to Gadsden today for a severe weather safety program; I will be back in the office by early afternoon, and the next Weather Xtreme video should be posted here by 3:30 or so! Enjoy the day…
