Mild Start To December
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WARM-UP CONTINUES: Temperatures are not as cold as recent mornings across the great state of Alabama; most places are in the 37-42 degree range at daybreak. We warm into the low to mid 60s today with a good supply of sunshine.
METEOROLOGICAL WINTER BEGINS MILD: Meteorological winter is December 1 through February 28… but in terms of astronomy the winter season begins December 21 at 5:12 a.m. CST. We are still projecting a high around 70 degrees tomorrow and Sunday with a partly to mostly sunny sky both days. Early morning lows will be in the 47-52 degree range. Doesn’t get much better this time of the year.
NEXT WEEK: We stay dry and mild Monday… a cold front will pass through Tuesday night with a decaying band of showers; the latest GFS hints at rain totals under a quarter of an inch. Then, slightly cooler air follows the front Wednesday through Friday, but highs will still be very pleasant, mostly in the 60s.
VOODOO COUNTRY: Still no sign of any long lasting cold weather around here; the big omega block over the Bering Sea is keeping the pattern from becoming too amplified over the continental U.S. at least through mid-December. We do note the CFSv2 (Climate Forecast System) shows a large snow cover over much of the U.S. the week of Christmas, but that is about as voodoo as you can get. See the Weather Xtreme video for the graphics and details.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: For tonight’s high school playoff games, the sky will be clear with temperatures falling through the 50s during the games. For tomorrow’s SEC championship game in Atlanta, we can promise no rain since the game is indoors at the Georgia Dome, but the weather outside looks great as well with a partly sunny sky and afternoon temperatures peaking in the upper 60s.
HURRICANE SEASON ENDS TODAY: The 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season was one that produced 19 named storms, of which 10 became hurricanes and one became a major hurricane. An interesting aspect of the season was its early start, with two tropical storms, Alberto and Beryl, developing in May before the season officially began. Also, this is the seventh consecutive year that no major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5) have hit the United States. The only major hurricane this season was Hurricane Michael, a Category 3 storm that stayed over the open Atlantic. Several storms this year were short in duration, weak in intensity, and went largely unnoticed by the general public because they stayed out over the Atlantic. A persistent jet stream pattern over the eastern portion of the nation helped steer many of this season’s storms away from the United States. The number of named storms and hurricanes was higher than predicted in NOAA’s pre-season outlook, in large part because El Niño – which likely would have suppressed overall storm activity – never materialized as predicted by many climate models.
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I have a weather program today at St. Frances Xavier Catholic school in Birmingham… look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 or so. Enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather
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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.Subscribe
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