Rain Moves In Later Today; Sub-Freezing Mornings Ahead

TURNING WET: Rain will push into Alabama today ahead of a strong disturbance that is one ingredient that will spin up the “Blizzard of 2017” for the Northeast U.S. tomorrow. Most of the rain across our state will come from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight, and rain amounts of around 1/2 inch are likely. The high this afternoon will be in the 48-52 degree range for most communities.

TOMORROW: The day will be breezy and cold, and we could see a few sprinkles tomorrow morning. Even a chance of a few snow flurries over the northern third of the state as the air cold rushes in. Clouds linger much of the day, and the high will be between 47 and 50 degrees.

SUB-FREEZING MORNINGS: We project lows in the 20s both Wednesday and Thursday morning; colder pockets across North Alabama could see upper teens Thursday morning with a clear sky and light wind. Wednesday and Thursday will be sunny; the high Wednesday will stay between 47 and 50 degrees, with low 50s Thursday. Keep in mind our average highs are in the mid to upper 60s in mid-March… temperatures this week are way below average.

NORTHEAST U.S. BLIZZARD: A crippling blizzard will impact the major cities like Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston tomorrow and tomorrow night, with snow amounts of 1-2 feet. Travel in and out of these places will be shut down for a couple of days.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Forecast confidence is not especially high due to model inconsistency; for now we will mention some scattered light rain Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a pronounced warming trend. We rise into the low 60s Friday, upper 60s Saturday, and mid 70s Sunday. We will be able to be more specific on the timing of the rain later this week, but for now it looks like it won’t be anything especially heavy.

NEXT WEEK: It will feel like spring again as highs go up into the 70s. Seems like there will be a decent rain event toward the end of the week that might feature some strong storms; see the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

ON THIS DATE IN 1993: The great “Blizzard of 93” was winding down. It was one of those very rare times, when all 67 counties in Alabama had a snow cover. Here is a selection:

20 inches at Walnut Grove
17 inches at Valley Head
16 inches in Oneonta and Bessemer
13 inches at Anniston, Talladega, Pinson, Birmingham
12 inches at Thomasville, Childersburg, Scottsboro
11 inches at Sylacauga
10 inches at Cullman, Clanton and Heflin
9 inches in Thorsby
8 inches in Ashland, Centreville, Moulton and Guntersville
7 inches in Alexander City, Huntsville and Whatley
6 inches in Camden, Evergreen, Jasper, Livingston, Andalusia, Haleyville and Highland Home
5 inches in Auburn, Winfield, Muscle Shoals and Chatom
4 inches in Montgomery, Union Springs, Vernon, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Frisco City, Greenville, Troy
3 inches at Brewton, Hamilton, Bay Minette, Mobile Airport
2 inches at Atmore and Robertsdale
Trace at Fairhope and Coden

Remember, this does not count drifts. Those drifts were humongous in some areas, especially by Alabama standards. The drifts were 5 to 6 feet deep in parts of the Birmingham metro area.

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I have weather programs today at Berry Middle School in Hoover, and the Alabaster Public Library… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: ANC, rain

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS