The Sunday edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme Video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
It is a cloudy, gray, gloomy looking day out there – the kind best for sleeping late if you can. It looks cold out there, but looks can be deceiving because temperatures across Central Alabama are in the mid 60s. Hard be believe it is that warm in late December. Our current temperatures are over 10 degrees warmer than the average high for this time of year. And much of Alabama got a good soaking rain overnight. Storm total estimates on radar show 3 to 4 inches across a large part of West Alabama with three-quarters to one inch over the central portion and around a half inch across the East.
The rain will be ending from the west today. I expect the rain to be over for the Birmingham area by late morning and by 4 to 5 pm for the eastern sections of the state. But the clouds will hang in there until sunset or shortly after. But I do expect more clouds overnight and we should start the day Monday, New Years Day, with cloudy skies. Temperatures will be a bit colder tomorrow morning but the coldest mornings will be Tuesday and Wednesday when we could dip to the freezing mark.
The weather improves for Tuesday and Wednesday with a good deal of sunshine and high temperatures recovering into the low 60s by Wednesday.
Another in what seems like a long series of closed lows will drop into northern Mexico. This will generate a surface low in the Northwest Gulf which is forecast to move northeastward across the Southeast US. The SPC has outlooked a large part of the Southeast including most of Alabama and Mississippi for a risk of severe weather on Thursday the fourth. The closed upper low moves quickly across the Southeast weakening as it goes. The pattern maintains a west to southwest flow over Alabama so I don’t expect to see any really cold air for some time.
As with the system that we’ve just experienced, the exact location for the severe weather threat will depend on smaller scale features such as how far inland high dewpoints translate and the wind shear. The point here is that the overall pattern is certainly one that appears favorable for some type of severe weather. We’ll be watching it and examining how future model runs handle the situation.
In the longer range, it appears that we will start 2007 with a series of storm system as the GFS maintains a very progressive pattern. About every 3 to 4 days you can expect another storm system with rain, but there is no evidence of any really cold weather for Central Alabama. But we all know how long range models can change, so stay tuned.
I want to wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year from the Weather Team at ABC 3340. I believe James Spann will be back with you tomorrow morning as he returns from vacation. I’ve enjoyed posting the Weather Xtreme Videos this week and I plan to be back next weekend. Happy New Year!!
-Brian-
