Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

Warmer Afternoons

| March 27, 2012 @ 5:58 am

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ANOTHER DELIGHTFUL DAY: The dry air over Alabama will warm quickly today, and with a sunny sky we expect a high in the low 80s in most places today as the warm March weather continues. The weather really won’t change too much tomorrow and Thursday; the high will be in the low to mid 80s with a partly sunny sky. Moisture levels will be a bit higher, and we might consider some small risk of a shower, but if any showers do pop up across the state, they will be widely spaced and most communities stay dry.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Friday looks warm, and a few widely scattered afternoon showers or storms could pop up, but the 00Z GFS is stronger with the upper ridge, and much of the day will be dry. The GFS is printing a high of 84 for Birmingham on Friday.

SATURDAY RAIN CHANCES: Unfortunately it still looks like there will be an increased chance of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday as a short wave aloft moves over a moist airmass. There are many big events going on… including the Tuscaloosa Air Show and the Indy event at the Barber Motorsports Park, so needless to say there is high interest in this forecast. The good news is that the severe weather risk looks low for now, and it won’t rain all day. But, on the other hand, rain could come at any time during the day, and some thunderstorm activity is likely. With clouds and showers the high will drop back into the 70s. Of course, we can be much more specific as we get closer to the weekend.

The good news is that Sunday looks much drier as the wave moves on to the east. Expect a mix of sun and clouds with just a few isolated showers or storms; the high Sunday will be close to 80 degrees.

EARLY APRIL COLD SNAP? Still looks like we will indeed have much cooler weather for the middle and latter part of next week. Watch the Weather Xtreme video for the details; the GFS now develops a deep, cold core upper low that ultimately winds up right on top of us, while the ECMWF shows a long wave upper trough over the eastern U.S. Ahead of the colder air, there will be some risk of strong storms, maybe even severe storms, Monday night into Tuesday. Then, cool weather is the story for the rest of the week. The ECMWF would suggest one or two nights with potential for frost, or a freeze. The GFS solution would probably keep us a little above the mid 30s, but this is speculation since it is all still beyond 7 days. Growers will need to keep an eye on this possibility in coming days.

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Category: Alabama's Weather

About the Author ()

James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.

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