Archive for April 24th, 2012
Tranquil And Warmer Weather
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.
QUIET APRIL WEATHER: Sure looks like we will make it all the way through the entire month of April without one single tornado warning for the state of Alabama. Don’t think anyone will have any problems with that considering what we went through one year ago.
WARMER DAYS AHEAD: The warm-up will continue. The high tomorrow will be around 80 degrees, followed by low 80s Thursday, and mid 80s Friday. Expect partly sunny days and fair nights; a few isolated showers could show up near the Tennessee border, close to a stalled front over Kentucky, but the rest of the state should stay dry. We might have some low stratus clouds early Friday morning as low level moisture levels rise.
THE WEEKEND: Looks pretty quiet. Only a slight risk of a shower Saturday with a high in the mid 80s; a few widely scattered showers could show up Sunday, but nothing really widespread despite a cold front approaching from the north. The high Sunday afternoon will be close to 80 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: The rather tame weather pattern continues, with dry and mild weather for at least the first half of the week. Highs will be in the 70s; see the Weather Xtreme video for details and all of the graphics.
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 this week’s new episode.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I had a great time today visiting with the kindergarten kids at Coldwater Elementary in Calhoun County… be looking for them 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…
NWS Webinar on 4/27 Tornadoes in Alabama Thursday Evening
From our Pal Jim Stefkovich at the NWS Birmingham:
On Thursday, April 26, 2012, the National Weather Service in Birmingham will host a one hour webinar from 630 pm – 730 pm CDT, titled, “One year after April 27, 2011 – A Conversation with the National Weather Service Birmingham.” On this webinar, we will talk about the historic tornado outbreaks of April 2011, our personal experiences, and answer as many questions from the public as possible.
We are asking folks to do two things to join the conversation.
First, pre-register for the webinar here.
You will be able watch the webinar on your computer, using the computer’s speakers to listen to us talking.
Although pre-registration is not necessary, it will ensure your attendance, as webinar space is limited.
Second, by 8 am CDT Thursday April 26, 2012, send us any weather related questions you have about the tornado outbreak, severe weather, or weather safety at: SR-BMX.STORMREPORTS@NOAA.GOV
Our hope is to gather as many questions ahead of time and answer as many as possible on the limited one-hour webinar. If there is more time for questions on the actual webinar, folks will be given the opportunity to type them in via the webinar chat.
Jim Stefkovich
Meteorologist In Charge
Tuesday Morning Alabama Low Temperatures
29 Broomtown
31 Valley Head, Cottondale
33 SW Lamar County
34 Black Creek, Fort Payne Airport
35 Scottsboro, Troy
36 Russellville
37 Coker, Concord, Haleyville, Gadsden, Alexander City, Mobile, Crossville, Albertville,
38 Alabaster, Evergreen
39 Helena, Bessemer, Center Point, Tuscaloosa, Anniston
40 North Fayette County, Muscle Shoals, Montgomery, Calera, Guntersville
41 Huntsville, Birmingham, Courtland, Guntersville
43 Auburn, Oxford, Meridianville
44 Decatur, Dothan
Nice Warm-Up 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 APRIL MORNING: Here are some 5:00 a.m. temperatures from our team of Skywatchers…..
Black Creek (just northeast of Gadsden) 34
Fayette 37
Concord 37
Center Point 39
Lake View (East Tuscaloosa County 40
I also note that Fort Payne and Valley Head dropped to 34 degrees this morning on the “official” observations. Most places are in the 40s; Birmingham was at 45 degrees.
**UPDATE: At 5:57 D.L. Powell, in the small Cherokee County community of Broomtown (near the Georgia border in Northeast Alabama) checked in with 29 degrees. He lets us know he has never had a frost after April 15 as long as he has been there.
We warm nicely today. With ample sunshine most places will see a high at or just over 70 today.
REST OF THE WEEK: Dry through Friday with a warming trend. Look for a high around 80 tomorrow, low 80s Thursday, and mid 80s Friday with partly sunny days and fair nights. A shower or two might pop up over far North Alabama around the Tennessee border, but even there the chance of organized rain is very small.
WEEKEND FORECAST: The weather looks warm, and mostly dry. The latest model runs have looked drier, and I think for now we will just need to mention an outside risk of a shower Saturday and Sunday; the idea of a front passing through on Sunday is now off the table, so afternoon highs will stay in the 80s both days with a mixture of sun and clouds.
NEXT WEEK: The benign weather pattern continues; we might see a shower in spots early Monday, but the GFS is advertising a cold front coming through in very uneventful fashion late Sunday night or Monday morning, followed by dry and pleasant weather for the first half of the week. See the Weather Xtreme video for details… but it sure looks like we will make it through April without a single tornado warning for the state of Alabama.
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 this week’s new episode…
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I will be doing a weather program today at Coldwater Elementary in Calhoun County… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
WeatherBrains 326: Mushy Monkey Brains
WeatherBrains Episode 326 is now online (April 23, 2012). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest Panelist is a WeatherBrains alum. Chris Novy came to Birmingham in November to teach spotter safety at the ABC 3340 Weather Xtreme spotter training event. He is perfect to help us debate recent events in the chaser community tonight. His video-rich presentations are always eye-catching, amusing, informative, and occasionally sobering. His message is always the same – no spotter report, no video clip, no smidgen of name recognition, is worth losing your life for.
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain found himself staring into the teeth of the Tuscaloosa tornado last April 27th and had the presence of mind to snap what some think is the definitive picture of that beast of a storm (see the photo below). Jimmy Jones is a UPS driver who lives with his family in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He joins us tonight from his home.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our mail bag has been getting some attention and Kevin puts it in perspective.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: It’s electrifying and fascinating at the same time. Lightning is absolutely amazing, so this week WeatherBrains 101 takes a look a just a few compelling facts about lightning.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 24th. Of course, you can’t think about this week without recalling the devastating events in Alabama on April 27, 2011.
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 326:
Photo by Jimmy Jones along with story
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – JB Gets the Fog Horn ! !
Bill Murray – Dark Sky app
Chris Novy – iMapWeather TV
Brian Peters – Pictorial Celebration of Earth Day
Kevin Selle – Kevin’s Pick actually from his son Matthew
James Spann – John Brown’s YouTube Channel (storm video)
JP Spann – Hail Picture
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.
