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.
RIGHT NOW: Some 2:00 p.m. temperatures around Alabama include 39 at Haleyville, 41 at Decatur, and 51 at Birmingham. A gusty northwest wind is making those temperatures feel colder. And, of course, this is just a preview of the big chill coming down the pike later this week.
We will be down in the 20 to 25 degree range at daybreak tomorrow, and the day tomorrow looks mostly sunny with a high in the upper 40s. But, get ready for…
THE ARCTIC BLAST: Thursday will be harshly colder. We will struggle to reach the mid 30s with a northwest wind of 15 to 30 mph. That will drive the wind chill index down into the single digits during the day, possibly touching zero in Birmingham. Sub-zero wind chill index values are very possible to the north of Birmingham. The air will be very dry and the chance of snow flurries looks very small at this point.
FRIDAY MORNING: The GFS is now printing 10 degrees for Birmingham Friday morning, with the NAM showing 14. We will split the difference and maintain a forecast low of 12, but we all know this is not a “one number” place. We figure most places will wind up between 10 and 15 degrees, with the colder valleys across North Alabama dropping into the 4 to 9 degree range.
Friday will be cold, but not as raw thanks to a sunny sky and light wind. Looks like we will touch the mid 30s Friday afternoon before dropping quick after sunset Friday night. Saturday morning will be very cold again, with lows just about as cold as Friday morning. It now looks like most places will be somewhere between 10 and 15 degrees Saturday morning, with single digits for the colder valleys.
See Dr. Tim’s discussion below; I do think some communities north of Birmingham will stay below freezing for an extended period of time, and preparations need to continue for a very significant cold wave Thursday through Saturday.
OUR WEEKEND: We will rise into the 40s Saturday as a moderating trend begins with a partly sunny sky. Still no change in our thinking on Sunday; a strong lobe rotating through the upper trough over the eastern U.S. could squeeze out some light rain or light snow Sunday, but with limited moisture it won’t amount to much.
Dry weather is the story early next week with a slow warming trend.
VOODOO COUNTRY: Looks like temperatures will be close to average values during the final week of January with no major winter storm threats, based on the GFS ensembles.
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.
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.
I sure enjoyed seeing the 6th graders at Piedmont Middle School today… be looking for them on the KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! I will have the next Weather Xtreme video posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
