Archive for October 25th, 2011
Colors Of Fall
Thanks to ABC 33/40 Skywatcher Vic Bell for this image… he writes…
“This is the view looking SE from just in front of my house. That’s Big Mountain, a ridge that runs on
top of Lookout Mountain along the east side. It blocks the sunrise at my house for about 40 minutes.”
Cold Front Arrives Later This Week
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
ONE MORE DRY DAY: Alabama’s weather won’t change much tomorrow… the sky will be partly to mostly sunny with a high in the mid to upper 70s. Then, clouds begin to return Thursday ahead of a cold front that will bring some changes in our weather before the weekend arrives.
Not much change in our overall thinking after looking at the 12Z model runs… seems like our best chance of getting wet will be Thursday night into Friday morning. Generally speaking, seems like the main window for rain is from about 4:00 p.m. Thursday through 9:00 a.m. Friday. Both the NAM and the GFS are relatively dry, with amounts only 1/4 inch or less around here.
Friday will be somewhat of a raw day with temperatures having a hard time reaching the low 60s with clouds and a chilly north breeze. But, the rain will be over in time for the high school football games Friday night with a clearing sky.
OUR WEEKEND: Doesn’t get much better. Sunny days, clear cold nights. Highs will be in the 60s Saturday and Sunday, with early morning lows in the 36-43 degree range. Enjoy.
NEXT WEEK: The week begins with more nice weather, but the GFS continues to advertise a rather robust system around November 4-5 with potential for rain or storms, and much colder air to follow. Even some hint of wrap around snow flakes on the back side of the departing system on the 12Z GFS… see the Weather Xtreme video for details.
RINA ALMOST A MAJOR HURRICANE: Rina is expected to become a category three hurricane tonight over the Caribbean… still hardly any motion with little in the way of steering currents; no change in the overall track idea… Rina will come very close to Cozumel and Cancun late in the week before hanging a hard right toward the western tip of Cuba as a weakening system. We do note the 12Z GFS pushes the system toward the southern tip of Florida late in the weekend… but one way or another it won’t impact Alabama’s weather. Again, see the Weather Xtreme video for details.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I had a great time today visiting with the OLLI bonus class at the University of Alabama Gadsden Center… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….
Aurora Over Alabama
This shot is from Jonathon Stone via spaceweather.com taken last night at Baileyton, in Cullman County…
See spaceweather.com for more details on the amazing display of the Northern Lights over North America last night due to an intense geomagnetic storm…
Nice Warm-Up Today
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
RARE AURORA OVER ALABAMA LAST NIGHT: See my Facebook page for many shots of the Aurora Borealis last night that was so vivid across North America, and seen as far south as Alabama and Mississippi. Quite a geomagnetic storm that produced that incredible display.
DRY THROUGH TOMORROW: Pleasant weather continues through tomorrow with mostly sunny mild days and clear cool nights. We reach the upper 70s both days, with some spots over West Alabama near 80.
COLD FRONT LATER THIS WEEK: The 00Z GFS is a little drier with the next cold front coming in here Friday morning; it suggests the best chance of showers will come from about 3:00 p.m. Thursday through 12:00 noon Friday. Amounts would be less than 1/2 inch, and probably less than 1/4 inch if the latest run is correct. And, there is no threat of severe weather will limited moisture, dynamics, and instability.
Friday will be much cooler with temperatures struggling to reach the low to mid 60s with a cool north breeze. We believe the light rain will be gone by the time the high school football games begin Friday night.
FINE FALL WEEKEND: The weather looks simply excellent Saturday and Sunday. Lots of sunshine both days with highs in the 60s and lows in the 36-42 degree range. Great to get out and see the fall colors that are now showing up nicely.
NEXT WEEK: The week begins dry… the GFS is suggesting a chance of showers and storms around November 3… see the Weather Xtreme video for more long range ideas.
RINA: The hurricane in the Caribbean is packing sustained winds of 100 mph this morning, and is just drifting northwest. It will be close to Cozumel and Cancun late in the week before hanging a right toward the western tip of Cuba. Rina won’t be anywhere near Alabama, and won’t impact our weather. Again, see the video for complete details.
WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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. Scroll down for the show notes on last night’s new episode.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I will be speaking today at the University of Alabama Center at Gadsden… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
WeatherBrains 300: Armed with a Strawberry Shortcake
WeatherBrains Episode 300 is now online (October 24, 2011). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is James Ladue, an educator at the Warning Decision Training Branch in Norman, OK. He trains meteorologists on how to use radar and satellite data so they may produce more accurate forecasts and warnings. He develops new techniques for combining satellite and radar data. He was one of the really big brains that were in Birmingham last week for the National Weather Association Annual Meeting. He has a life long fascination with weather and sky, and he is doing something about it. His undergraduate work in meteorology was done at SUNY Oswego and his Masters is from the University of Oklahoma. He is also into canoeing, hiking, skiing, storm chasing, and photography.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our mail bag has been getting some email and Kevin summarizes the stacks and stacks of letters.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: The field of weather is filled with all kinds of alphabet soup. So this week we tackle NPP and NPOESS. Both relate to satellites and 101 got some great exposure to these at the NWA annual conference in Birmingham, AL, last week.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of October 25th. This week’s history includes the perfect storm.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 300:
Warning Decision Training Branch
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – Meteorology at Virginia Tech
Bill Murray – NWA Video Channel
Brian Peters – Gets the Fog Horn
Kevin Selle – Dual Polarization Installation Schedule
James Spann – Auroral Activity Extrapolated
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
