The Friday afternoon edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
What an ice storm unfolding this afternoon over much of Oklahoma and into parts of Missouri. I have great fear some people could be without power for weeks in isolated areas as the ice accumulation could become severe by Saturday night and Sunday.
The leading edge of the cold air is near the northwest corner of Arkansas, and will move only slowly eastward through the weekend. Right now Oklahoma City reports 25 degrees with a wind chill index of 11. Across the front, Harrison, Arkansas reports 61 degrees.
THE ALABAMA STORY: Mild weather is our story for the weekend. Highs between 68 and 72, cloudy periods but hardy any rain through Sunday. You better enjoy the spring-like weather while you can.
NEXT WEEK: Rain and storms, ahead of the Arctic front, will move in here Monday. Still some risk of strong to severe storms; another low CAPE high shear environment much like the last two systems. The front will stall out somewhere over far South Alabama, and moisture will continue to ride up and over the shallow layer of cold air near the surface Monday night and Tuesday.
Tuesday looks like a cold, raw day with periods of rain and temperatures holding in the low to mid 30s all day. Once again, the GFS MOS has no clue; it can’t handle the shallow nature of the cold air. The GFS MOS today has been absolutely horrible in the cold air to the north.
I am still concerned about the chance of some freezing rain Tuesday, Tuesday night, into early Wednesday over the northern part of the state, mainly along and north of U.S. 278. That highway runs from Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden… while moisture will be more limited up there, anything that falls should be liquid, and can create ice accumulation on exposed surfaces. The ground will be warm, which will help, but trees, power lines, and bridges could become icy especially Tuesday night. Quite frankly, I can’t rule out some ice issues as far south as I-20 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Wednesday looks really cold. Forecasting soundings hint that we will be below freezing all day. Thursday and Friday could provide a little moderation as afternoon temperatures recover into the 40s.
LONG RANGE: The pattern still looks cold and unsettled for the rest of January. A mean deep upper trough over the eastern part of the continent with very cold air, and an active southern stream undercutting the trough. Get ready for some winter fun and games in the weather office…
KEEP UP with the latest news on the ice in the nation’s heartland over on our sister site, WeatherParty.com A very difficult situation for those folks this weekend.
I will have my next video here by 7:00 a.m. Monday… Brian Peters will have the video updates over the weekend. Enjoy your weekend and the warm weather; I believe this will be the last spring-like weekend for a while!
