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Showers Early Tomorrow; Very Warm Weekend Ahead

| April 24, 2014 @ 2:27 pm

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RADAR CHECK: Nothing on radar over Alabama this afternoon; the sky is partly sunny and temperatures are generally in the low 80s. We do note strong storms forming over much of Arkansas, where a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued.

A band of showers and thunderstorms will enter the northwest corner of our state around midnight tonight; they could pack a punch initially as they impact places like Muscle Shoals and Russellville, but the storms will weaken rapidly as they move deeper into Alabama during the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. Just a few scattered showers are likely for Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston, and Gadsden between 3:00 and 8:00 a.m.

TOMORROW THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Once those early morning showers end, tomorrow will be a mostly sunny day with a high between 77 and 80 degrees.

Look for the warmest weather so far this year over the weekend; a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs up in the mid 80s… a nice summer preview. High clouds will begin to increase Sunday afternoon ahead of storms west of Alabama.

SPC maintains severe weather risks for Sunday and Monday… the threat Sunday is west of our state, but much of Alabama is included in the Monday risk.

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THE ALABAMA SEVERE WEATHER THREAT: The new 12Z global model runs are slower, suggesting the main action will come late Monday night and during the day Tuesday. With a slow moving, cut off upper system like this, the slower solution is probably correct, and it could very well be Tuesday before we have our primary severe weather threat in Alabama.

As we have discussed here this week, it is simply too early to be able to identify the mesoscale features of this system that will ultimately determine the magnitude of the severe weather threat. Seems like the severe weather parameters are maximized west of Alabama Sunday… no doubt we will have some risk of severe weather here, but the shear, instability, and wind fields are not exactly “overwhelming”, and it could very well be that flooding is the primary impact.

A very slow moving band of storms, feeding off very high precipitable water values, will bring rain amounts of 2 to 4 inches to North Alabama, and some flooding problems are very possible. It might be late Tuesday night, or even Wednesday before the rain gets out of here.

We will be able to be much more specific about the timing, and the modes of severe weather to expect tomorrow morning. But I really do think the slower idea has very good credibility, so our biggest day could very well work out to be Tuesday.

See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and more details.

COOLER AIR FOLLOWS THE RAIN: Models have backed off on the strength of the upper trough over the eastern U.S. over the latter half of next week, and also on the amount of cool air that reaches Alabama. Highs could drop into the 60s by Thursday and Friday.

WEATHER RADIO UPDATE: Important note concerning the Birmingham NOAA Weather Radio situation…

NWS technicians have successfully installed a temporary fix to the Birmingham transmitter. While not returning to full power and coverage, we hope that this fix will provide coverage to a good number of radios that may not have been able to receive a sufficient signal from a backup transmitter. There are technical issues as to the type and length of cable, as well as the height of the tower that will limit our capabilities until the permanent replacement can be installed. We are still hoping to have that happen on or about May 3rd.

To allow NWR Birmingham radio users to check/confirm reception on their radios, we will be conducting tone alert tests on the BIRMINGHAM TRANSMITTER ONLY at 6 PM CDT tonight (Thurday), and again at 11 AM and 6 PM CDT Friday and Saturday. For all other transmitters, we will conduct the regularly scheduled weekly test Saturday at 11 AM CDT. If NWR listeners receive the test signal, their radios should activate for any warnings that are issued. Note that not all weather radios are configured to alarm for the weekly test; users may need to be near their radios at those times to confirm receipt of the test signal. If they do not receive the test signal from the Birmingham transmitter, they may need to reprogram their radios to one of the backup transmitters. Our webpage has all the specific information needed to do that.

At this point, we do not anticipate any significant changes to the status of the transmitter in the near term. We truly appreciate all the offers to assist us in fixing the tower, however, we are bound to existing contracts and the Federal contracting regulations for the maintenance and repair of the transmitters. While it is highly unlikely, if anything changes in that regard, we will let everyone know.

GULF COAST WEATHER: Look for sunny days and fair nights through Monday… showers and storms return Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Highs on the immediate coast will be in the low 70s, but 80s are likely just a few miles inland. The sea water temperature at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this afternoon is up to 71 degrees.

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.

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I had a great time today visiting with the first graders at Faucett-Vestavia Elementary in Northport… be looking for those kids on the KIDCAM at 6:00 p.m. on ABC 33/40 News! Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….

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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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