Archive for April 23rd, 2012
WeatherBrains LIVE!
The weekly show all about weather is live tonight… from 8:30 until 10:00 p.m. CDT. Listen live via uStream…
Chilly Night Ahead
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.
COLD NIGHT FOR LATE APRIL: The record low for Birmingham April 24 is 35 degrees set in 1986. I don’t expect it to get that cold, but the average low should be near 40 degrees early tomorrow, with mid to upper 30s possible for some of the colder valleys and protected areas of North Alabama. Widespread frost is not expected since the wind should keep blowing most of the night (although the wind will die down with time), but a few spots could see a little frost for a brief time in those colder pockets.
REST OF THE WEEK: Dry weather is the story with a warming trend. Look for a high near 70 tomorrow, 80 Wednesday, low 80s Thursday, and mid 80s Friday. A stalled front north of here will bring some chance of rain to Tennessee and Kentucky, and a few showers could creep south into far North Alabama, but down this way rain is unlikely through Friday.
WEEKEND PEEK: Saturday will be warm and humid with a mix of sun and clouds; just a very small risk of an afternoon shower. The weather stays warm with a high in the low to mid 80s. Then, we will bring in a chance of showers Sunday as a cold front passes through the state. But, with limited moisture and marginal upper support, rain should be light. Maybe a little thunder in spots, but no severe weather. There is a very high chance we will make it through the rest of April without a single tornado warning for the entire state of Alabama. Pretty remarkable considering what happened one year ago this week.
Next week, at least the first half of the week, looks dry and pleasant with highs in the 70s. See the Weather Xtreme video for more long range ideas and all of the graphics that go along with this discussion.
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 rundown on tonight’s show… should be very, very interesting.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I enjoyed seeing everybody in Tuscaloosa this morning as we handed out free NOAA Weather Radio receivers at the Piggly Wiggly in Alberta City… and also the kids in kindergarten at Mount Olive Elementary. Look for those kids on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….
Tonight on WeatherBrains
The gentleman who took what I think is one of the definitive pictures of the April 27th outbreak will be on Weatherbrains tonight, sharing his harrowing story.
Jimmy Jones, a driver for UPS who lives in Tuscaloosa, took the image from under an overpass on I-359 seconds after the deadly tornado passed.
While we would never recommend an overpass for shelter, Jimmy found himself with no alternative. As he ran up under the girders, he found an interesting character there.
Hear his amazing experience tonight on WeatherBrains live at 8:30 p.m. CDT on UStream.
Chris Novy from Oklahoma City will be the Guest Panelist as we talk about the recent chaser convergence incidents last weekend and Adam Grossman from Dark Sky will make a brief appearance to talk about their new app.
Of course, you can listen in a variety of ways after the fact to the recorded podcast. The link will be posted here tomorrow morning, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
The show’s website is www.WeatherBrains.com.
The Big Northeast Storm
An intense low pressure area was centered near New York City late this morning. That is the troublemaker for a major storm for the northeast states more akin to a winter storm. The numbers posted below reveal the intensity!
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE in a small boat…with just one paddle south of Block Rhode Island? They were getting 13-foot waves every 11 seconds.
NORTHEAST SNOW AMOUNTS SO FAR
5 inches at Kysers Ridge, Md.
9 inches at Mecklensurg, N.Y.
8 inches Newfield, N.Y.
7 inches Elmira, N.Y.
12 inches Laurel Summit, Pa.
11 inches Sylvania, Pa.
5 inches eight miles ESE of Kingswood, West Va.
4 inches Clyde, West Va.
SAMPLE RAIN AMOUNTS (LAST 24 HOURS)
5.04 inches New Boston, N.H.
3.18 Hatteras, N.C.
3.65 Beddeford, Maine
3.17 Schenectady, N.Y.
2.76 New York City/Central Park
Windy, Cool April Day
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.
ON THE MAPS: A very deep low pressure center this morning (988 mb) is centered near the New Jersey coast, producing a late season snow storm from Western PA up into far West NY. A total of 7” of snow has been reported early this morning in the Finger Lakes region of NY in Cayuga County (north of Ithaca) and it was still snowing heavily as of 6am CDT.
THE ALABAMA STORY: We begin the day with temperatures in the 40s; the sky will be sunny today, but conditions windy and cool with temperatures struggling to reach the low 60s; that is about 15 degrees below average since we should be at 76 this time of the year (that is our average high for April 23). North winds will average 10-20 mph, with higher gusts.
COLD NIGHT: The winds will calm down tonight, and it looks like temperatures will head down toward the 40 degree mark for most places, but no doubt some of the colder valleys and protected areas, especially over Northeast Alabama, could reach the mid to upper 30s. I don’t think the wind goes entirely calm, which should prevent frost formation on a widespread basis, but there could be a touch of light frost in some of the valleys. Growers will need to keep an eye on the thermometer overnight for sure, but again I just don’t expect a widespread problem. Both the NAM and the GFS are printing a low of 41 for Birmingham early tomorrow.
RESTY OF THE WEEK: A warming trend begins tomorrow with a sunny sky and a high in the low 70s. Looks like we stay dry for rest of the week, with a high around 80 on Wednesday, followed by low 80s Thursday and Friday.
WEEKEND PEEK: Moisture levels will increase over the weekend, but it looks like Saturday will be generally dry and warm with a high in the low 80s. We might consider a small risk of a shower Saturday afternoon, but for now the risk looks very low. We will, however, forecast a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm on Sunday with a cold front moving through the state. Doesn’t look like rain will be especially heavy, and no severe weather threat. The day will be cooler thanks to the clouds and showers Sunday with a high in the 70s.
Drier air returns Monday of next week with seasonal temperatures. See the Weather Xtreme video for all of the graphics and 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. We will record this week’s show tonight at 8:30 p.m. CDT.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I will be in Tuscaloosa this morning in Alberta City at the Piggly Wiggly helping to give away free NOAA Weather Radio receivers; this is just one of many events going on this week as we approach the one year anniversary of the generational tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. Later I will be up at Mount Olive Elementary in North Jefferson County doing a weather program; look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
