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As expected, we have a big time warm-up going on today; Tuscaloosa warmed to 77 degrees by 1:00, with all other stations in the 70s (Birmingham reported 75). A simply beautiful spring day across the Deep South.
Tomorrow will be warmer as we climb into the low 80s. Conditions will be breezy at times with a good supply of sunshine.
NEXT RAIN EVENT: The GFS continues to trend slower with the next rain producer for Alabama, and we will have to make some adjustments to the forecast. It now looks like much of the day Friday will be dry; we will highlight showers and storms beginning Friday night, and continuing into the day Saturday. In fact, the stronger storms might even hold off until Saturday afternoon, and the GFS is now spitting out surface based CAPE values near 1,500 j/kg with 0 to 3 km helicity values over 200 m2/s2. This means we might have to be on the lookout for a few severe thunderstorms Saturday if the air can destabilize.
The main window for storms now seems to be from about 3:00 a.m. Saturday until 4:00 p.m. Saturday, and rain totals of around one inch will be likely during that time. Some spots might even see close to 1.5 inches.
Sunday still looks dry and pleasant with a high in the low 70s.
VOODOO COUNTRY: The GFS gives us a different look for next week as well; it now holds off the rain until Thursday night and Friday (May 8-9). Down the road, a cool trough forms over the eastern part of the nation at mid-month, which would suggest temperatures below normal by then.
PINPOINT DOPPLER RADAR: Our system is now back in operation… thanks for your patience! Thanks to Gary Watkins and his crew for all the work in recent weeks on the mountain down in Shelby County.
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. We will record a new episode tonight; it will be available by 10:00 or so.
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!
