Soaking Rain Tonight; Severe Storms Way Down South

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WATCHING DEVELOPMENTS TO THE WEST: A remarkable blizzard is in progress today over the Texas Panhandle into West Oklahoma; snow totals over one foot have been common, and winds have gusted to hurricane force at Amarillo. I-40 through Texas is totally shut down. And, in the warm sector, a tornado watch is up for most of Louisiana into Southwest Mississippi until 8:00 p.m. CST.

But for now, Alabama is quiet. The sky is mostly cloudy with temperatures generally in the 50s. The air is cool and stable around here, and that should prevent severe weather issues for the northern half of Alabama tonight.

SOAKER TONIGHT: Rain and storms will overspread Alabama tonight. The primary severe weather risk will be over the southern quarter of the state… especially south of U.S. 84 (Grove Hill to Monroeville to Evergreen to Dothan). In addition to severe weather, flash flooding is also possible for the southern counties of Alabama, where a flash flood watch remains in effect for additional rain amounts of one to two inches.

A few strong tornadoes are possible near the Gulf Coast tonight, so people in places like Mobile, Gulf Shores, and Pensacola will need to be close to a good source of severe weather information as warnings are issued.

While we don’t expect any severe weather over the northern half of the state, some elevated thunderstorms are certainly possible within the large rain mass.

TOMORROW: The rain should end very early in the day, but with a stacked low just north of us, I sure get the idea we won’t see any sunshine. The sky will be cloudy, a touch of drizzle is possible in spots, and the high will be in the mid 50s.

REST OF THE WEEK: Expect a mix of sun and clouds Wednesday and Thursday with a cooling trend; by Thursday many communities over North Alabama won’t get out of the 40s. The cold air deepens Friday with highs in the 45-50 degree range.

COLD MARCH WEEKEND: The first weekend of March sure won’t feel like spring. Looks like the high Saturday will be in the 40-45 degree range with a chance of snow flurries or showers (no accumulation). Early morning lows over the weekend will drop below freezing; Sunday morning will be the coldest with a low between 22-27 degrees for most places.

NEXT WEEK: We warm up a bit Monday and Tuesday, but another shot of cold air blows in here later in the week. The North Atlantic Oscillation will be strongly negative as March begins, meaning temperatures will probably be below average for the first half of the month, generally speaking. See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and details.

STORM ALERT 2013 TOMORROW NIGHT IN OHATCHEE: Our annual severe weather awareness tour across Alabama continues through February. We will share lessons learned after the April 27, 2011 generational tornado event, along with other amazing weather stories. Learn how to keep your family safe during severe weather, and have a chance to win some cool prizes as well. Here are the remaining Storm Alert tour dates…

Tuesday February 26 Ohatchee – Ohatchee High School
Thursday February 28 Clay – Clay/Chalkville High School

All shows begin at 6:30… be sure and get there early to get a good seat.

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. We will produce this week’s episode tonight at 8:30 p.m. CST… you can watch live here.

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Tags: wet

Category: Alabama's Weather