An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
Be sure and scroll down for some images from ice storm country… what a big mess today from Texas to Pennsylvania. Watch the Weather Xtreme video for more on the ongoing ice storm, and all of the graphics associated with this discussion.
COLD AND WET TOMORROW: Rain will move into Alabama late tonight, and become widespread tomorrow morning statewide. And, in addition to the rain, the cold air to the north will move into our state, and it should be a day of falling temperatures. For folks along the I-20/59 corridor (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Gadsden), we will begin the day around 50 degrees, but then we fall into the 30s by afternoon with an icy north wind.
No real change in our thinking after a review of the 12Z model runs. There is a narrow window tomorrow when the rain could become mixed with, or change to light snow before it all ends across North-Central Alabama. We still do not expect any travel issues for I-20/59 since surface temperatures will remain above freezing, and the ground is relatively warm. The precipitation will end from west to east during the mid to late afternoon hours.
NORTHWEST ALABAMA ICE? This is the place where we could see some icy spots on bridges tomorrow; the cold air will move in early in the day, and temperatures could drop to the 30 to 32 degree range. A wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, and snow could fall for a few hours over Marion, Franklin, Winston, Lawrence, Colbert, Lauderdale, Limestone, Morgan, and Madison counties. Those of you in places like Hamilton, Haleyville, Russellville, Muscle Shoals, Moulton, and Athens really have the best chance of a little bridge icing, but even there we don’t expect this to be a major winter storm threat, and any snow or ice accumulation should be light.
THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND THE WEEKEND: Thursday will be cool and dry with a partly sunny sky and a high around 50. A shot of colder air arrives Friday; we will struggle to reach the 40 degree mark, with wind chill index values below freezing much of the day. Friday promises to be a cold, raw day. Even some hint of a few snow flurries to the north from Huntsville up toward Knoxville.
The coldest morning will come early Saturday with a low near 20; the colder valleys should easily reach the teens. Then, we warm to near 50 on Saturday, with mid 50s Sunday. The weekend should be dry.
EARLY NEXT WEEK: The 12Z GFS is back on the idea of a strong short wave moving into the region, spinning up a surface low in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Critical thickness values from the model suggest a chance of snow Monday over the northwest corner of Alabama, with a cold rain elsewhere. The surface low moves northeast, turning into a major nor’easter for the East Coast by Tuesday with potential for heavy snow for the middle Atlantic coast region. Some decent support from other models on this… we will sure keep an eye on it.
VOODOO LAND: The NAO remains generally negative through at least the first half of February; and the GFS shows occasional Gulf to Atlantic coast low pressure centers. Looks like we might try and have some fun and games a time or two for the winter weather fans if this pattern is right.
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.
TWITTER: Don’t forget, you can follow our news and weather updates from ABC 33/40 on Twitter here. And, my personal Twitter feed is here if you want to keep up with my adventures in life. Twitter is a short messaging service you can receive via the web, cell phone, or IM.
STORM ALERT 2009: The first stop on our annual severe weather awareness tour this year is Greene County High School in Eutaw; we will be there Thursday evening at 7:00… be sure and get there early for a good seat. You can meet our entire weather team, see some great Alabama weather stories, and get some cool stuff to take home.
I had a great time today seeing the 3rd graders at Elvin Hill Elementary School down in Columbiana; be looking for them on the KIDCAM on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00! I am about to head to Trussville for live weather at 5:00 and 6:00 from our new SKYCAM site on Chalkville Mountain Road; the medical building there will officially open this evening. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
