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TOO COLD FOR LATE MARCH: The calendar says that this is the last day of March, but the weather will feel like the first day of January today. A deep upper trough will pass right over Alabama, keeping the sky cloudy all day. We will have a little light rain or drizzle at times, and temperatures will go nowhere. We note that Cullman and Haleyville are in the upper 30s at 5:00, with low to mid 40s down this way. Clearly areas north of U.S. 278 (Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden) won’t get out of the 40s today, and I am not really sure the I-20 corridor (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston) can make the 50s today with this kind of pattern. Temperatures will be a good 20-25 degrees below average for this time of the year.
TOMORROW: The axis of the upper trough will shift east of Alabama, and the day should be warmer with a high back in the 60s. There is a reasonable chance the sun will be out at times, but we also note energy continues to dive down the back side of the eastern U.S. upper trough, meaning we will need to mention at least some risk of widely scattered showers, especially over the north and northeast part of the state. We have even seen a few hints there could be a shower tomorrow night in spots.
WARMER WEEKEND: The weekend will be brighter and warmer. Expect a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday; we should see a high in the low 70s Saturday, followed by upper 70s Sunday as spring temperatures return.
SEVERE WEATHER ISSUE NEXT WEEK: Evidence continues to mount that a significant severe weather outbreak will unfold early next week across the Deep South. The event should begin over Arkansas/Louisiana/Mississippi Monday afternoon, with the threat moving into Alabama Monday night into Tuesday morning. Way to early to be getting very specific, but watch the Weather Xtreme video and you will see the EHI values are almost off the chart. Looks like a classic early April tornado outbreak, so stay tuned for details in coming days for more about the threat and the timing.
Cooler air arrives in the wake of the storm system on Wednesday, but no evidence of a late season freeze threat at this point. The latter of the week should be dry. Again, see the Weather Xtreme video for more long range ideas.
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I have a weather program this morning at Cornerstone School in Woodlawn… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
