Coldest Air So Far This Season

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CHILL IN THE AIR: The average high for Birmingham on November 12 is 66 degrees… today we have some North Alabama communities barely out of the 40s as cold Arctic air feeds into Alabama. The sky is generally cloudy, although there have been a few peeks of sunshine this afternoon.

Clouds will stick around tonight, we expect to be at or just over 30 degrees by daybreak tomorrow.

TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Cold weather is the story… tomorrow clouds will continue to cover the southern half of the state, and there might even be a little light rain over far South Alabama with a wave moving along the Gulf Coast. Over North Alabama, the sun could break through the clouds at times, but we won’t get past the mid 40s. Then, on Friday, expect sunshine in full supply. The low Friday morning will drop into the 22-26 degree range, and the high Friday afternoon will be only in the mid 40s again despite the sunny sky.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday’s weather will be cold and dry, with a good supply of sunshine through scattered clouds and a high in the low 50s after starting the day down in the mid 20s. Clouds thicken Saturday night ahead of a storm system that will bring a cold rain to Alabama Sunday and Sunday night. The latest GFS run is a little slower, suggesting the most widespread rain will come from about 10:00 a.m. Sunday through 10:00 a.m. Monday, thanks to a surface low pressure center moving through South Alabama.

The southern half of the state should receive over one inch of rain with this feature; we now project 1/2 to 1 inch of rain for the north/central part of the state (places like Birmingham, Anniston, Gadsden, and Tuscaloosa). It will be our biggest rain event since October 13.

SNOW FLAKES MONDAY MORNING? As the surface low moves northeast, and another surge of colder air drops into the state, there remains the possibility of little snow over the northern third of the state (generally north of U.S. 278, or north of a line from Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden) Monday morning. But, the heavier snow totals should be well to the north, and for now the chance of really significant accumulation looks small.

Of course, this is still five days away, and things could change. We will watch model trends closely.

More cold air moves into the state early next week with highs in the 40s, and lows well down in the 20s early Tuesday and Wednesday morning. See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and more details.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school playoff games Friday night, we project a kickoff temperature around 40 degrees, then falling through the 30s during the games. Needless to say, you will need to bundle up. The sky will be clear.

The biggest college game in the country will be in Tuscaloosa Saturday as Mississippi State comes to town to take on Alabama. If you are planning on being with the ESPN GameDay crew, early morning temperatures will be in the upper 20s, rising through the 30s, and reaching the 40s by late morning. The kickoff temperature (2:30p CT) will be close to 52 degrees with a partly sunny sky, but as the sun goes down temperatures will drop quickly into the 40s during the second half.

Auburn will be over in Athens, GA to take on the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday evening (6:15p CT kickoff)… expect 46 degrees at kickoff, with temperatures dropping slowly through the 40s during the game. The sky becomes mostly cloudy, but the weather will be dry.

LONG RANGE: The AO and the NAO go into positive territory later in the month, meaning the last week of the month should, generally speaking, feature warmer temperatures.

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I had a great time today visiting with the kindergarten students at Walnut Park Elementary in Gadsden… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: cold

Category: Alabama's Weather