Clouds Increase Today, But Still Dry

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BACK INTO THE 50s LATER TODAY: Clouds will increase across Alabama today ahead of a cold front that will move into the northern counties tonight. We should reach the mid 50s today, about ten degrees warmer than yesterday, and we don’t expect any rain during the daytime hours.

Some scattered light rain is possible tonight and tomorrow as the front slowly drops southward, and becomes nearly stationary somewhere around U.S. 80 (Demopolis to Montgomery to Opelika). Rain amounts will be light and spotty with only limited moisture.

COLDER TOMORROW: There will be a very sharp thermal gradient across the state tomorrow; North Alabama won’t get out of the 40s, and some places near the Tennessee border will have a hard time getting out of the 30s. But, south of the stalled front, temperatures across South Alabama will reach the mid 60s.

FREEZING RAIN LATE TOMORROW NIGHT EARLY FRIDAY? This is a tricky one. The surface boundary along U.S. 80 should begin to lift northward as a warm front during the night, but we all know it can be hard hard to scour out the cold air from the valleys of Northeast Alabama in a situation like this. The RPM is very bullish on freezing rain (rain that falls in liquid form when surface temperatures are 32 or below) over North Alabama, but is an outlier. I think the 4km NAM has the better idea; it shows a window for some freezing rain over Northeast Alabama from about midnight tomorrow night through 6:00 a.m. Friday, mainly east of a line from Huntsville to Anniston to Roanoke.

I don’t think this will be a really big event, but keep in mind some bridge icing over Northeast Alabama is not out of the question late tomorrow night and during the pre-dawn hours as the precipitation begins. For now freezing rain looks very unlikely for Birmingham and points west. See the Weather Xtreme video for more details.

During the day Friday, as the warm front lifts northward, we will have periods of rain. The NAM surges mild air back in here, showing a high of 63 at Birmingham during the afternoon Friday. The GFS prints a high of 55. Rain amounts won’t be that heavy, generally 1/2 inch or less for most places.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: For now the weather looks dry Saturday and Sunday with seasonal temperatures; highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s along with a mix of sun and clouds both days.

NEXT WEEK: A major upper low will be over the Southwest U.S. early in the week, and how that lifts out will determine our weather. It seems that a major rain/storm event is possible by mid to late week, but we just can’t get into details this early. And, cold season upper lows over the SW U.S. can be very difficult to handle days in advance. One thing seems certain; we will be in mild air for the first half of the week with daytime temperatures rising into the 60s, so we will watch parameters to see if strong storms could be involved. See the Weather Xtreme video for the details and maps.

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I will be doing weather programs today at Alberta Elementary School in Tuscaloosa (their building was destroyed by the April 27, 2011 EF-4 tornado), and at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!

Tags: clouds

Category: Alabama's Weather