The Wednesday afternoon edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme Video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
Some clouds have invaded the northern half of the state this afternoon; you can always get a quick peek at the Alabama sky on our SKYCAM network. Most spots are reporting temperatures right now in the mid and upper 50s, right at normal levels for early December.
MORE COLD AIR AHEAD: North winds will pick up tomorrow, ushering in the next blast of Arctic air. Looks like we will probably visit the teens early Friday and Saturday morning. Early morning lows on Friday should be fairly uniform, with most spots winding up between 16 and 20 degrees. A north breeze will continue, mixing up the low levels a bit.
However, on Saturday morning, we should be clear and calm. This means a big spread; the coldest valleys across North Alabama will drop into the 11 to 15 degree range, while the highest elevations (above 1,500 feet) will be somewhere between 30 and 35. I expect a 20 degree spread from the coldest spot (like Valley Head) to a high spot like Mt. Cheaha.
But, wherever you are, the weather will be very cold tomorrow and Friday. We will struggle to reach the low 40s on Friday, even with sunshine in full force. And, for those cold valley locations early Saturday we will be in the “pipe busting” frame with low teens, so be sure and protect those exposed pipes.
WEEKEND WARM-UP: A nice warming trend begins over the weekend; we expect mid 50s on Saturday, and upper 50s on Sunday. Maybe a few high clouds around, but expect a decent amount of sunshine both days.
RAIN RETURNS NEXT WEEK: The 12Z run of the GFS suggests a good chance of rain and storms late Tuesday, Tuesday night, and early Wednesday morning of next week with an upper trough and surface cold front. Some colder air filters in behind that front, and another upper trough moves through by Thursday night, which generates a surface low in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. If this were January, I might be raising some flag here about snow or ice, but this is early December, and at this point it looks a little too warm for any winter weather mischief. And, the precipitation shield is south of here anyway. Nonetheless an interesting situation; that will be fun to watch in coming days.
LONG RANGE: The GFS shows a nice storm in the December 20-21 time frame, followed by a quick pop of colder air. The NAO is expected to remain neutral to positive, which isn’t favorable for any severe or long lasting cold period.
NEW NHC DIRECTOR: NOAA announced this afternoon that Bill Proenza will replace Max Mayfield at the National Hurricane Center. Max is retiring; he has been on our WeatherBrains podcast several times, and we will try to get Bill on with us within the next few weeks. Read the story over on our sister site, weatherparty.com.
HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS FOOD DRIVE: Don’t forget for just five bucks you can feed a family in need. You can give the donation when you check out at any Food World or Brunos store, and a huge sack of food will go to a family that needs it. We will be bagging groceries tomorrow at the Brunos at Alabama 150 and South Shades Crest Road in Hoover; I will be there doing the weather at 5:00 and 6:00 tomorrow evening. Be sure and drop by if you are close by.
I will have the next Weather Xtreme video posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!
