Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

Rain Moving Out; Very Cold Air Moving In

| November 17, 2014 @ 6:37 am

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SEVERE WEATHER TO THE SOUTH: Tornado warnings have been posted for parts of Southeast Alabama during the pre-dawn hours; scroll down to see all of them. As I write this, a tornado on radar near Hurtsboro in Russell County moving northeast. The severe weather threat will end over Southeast Alabama during the next hour or two as the storms move into South Georgia.

VERY BENEFICIAL RAIN: Up our way, we saw some tremendous rain totals during the past 24 hours; the rain generally came down slow and steady, and only minor flooding issues have been reported. Some totals…

Helena (Old Cahaba neighborhood) 6.74″
Hoover (near Spain Park HS) 5.98″
Coaling 5.70″
Bibbville 5.25″
Cottondale 5.21″
Bessemer 5.17″
Coldwater 4.92″
Moody 4.57″
Shelby County (between Alabaster and Columbiana) 4.03″
Weaver 3.91″
Concord 3.81″
Montevallo 3.75″
Coker 3.66″
Center Point 3.57″
Trussville 3.53″
Demopolis 3.44″
Muscadine 3.28″
Black Creek (near Gadsden) 3.19″
Gadsden 2.71″
Jemison 2.12″
Thorsby 1.96″

Lingering rain over East Alabama will end very soon…

Screen Shot 2014-11-17 at 6.26.49 AM

FRIGID AIR: Temperatures have fallen into the 30s over Northwest Alabama, and the cold air will flood the state this morning with a biting northwest wind. North of Birmingham, don’t expect to get out of the 30s today; temperatures will hover in the low 40s south of I-20. The sky will remain cloudy, and a few scattered snow flurries or patches of light sleet are possible in the cold air (but nothing really significant).

CHECKING THE RECORD BOOKS: We project a low between 18 and 22 degrees early tomorrow morning. The record low for November 18 (in Birmingham) is 20 degrees, set in 1959… so there is a good chance that one will fall (along with many others around the state and the nation). The wind will average 6-12 mph early tomorrow, and that could push the wind chill index down into the single digits in spots.

Tomorrow will be sunny, but very cold with a high only in the mid 30s; areas north of Birmingham could remain below freezing all day despite the sunshine.

Wednesday morning will be very cold with a clear sky and light wind; colder valleys and protected areas will visit the teens again, and more records are possible (Birmingham’s record low for November 19 is 18 set in 1903.

LATER THIS WEEK: A warming trend begins Wednesday afternoon; with a sunny sky we rise into the upper 40s. Then, 50s are likely Thursday afternoon with a partly sunny sky. We will mention the risk of a few showers Friday as a weak disturbance passes through; rain amounts should be on the light side.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: For now Saturday looks dry and mild; partly sunny with a high in the mid 60s. Then, a dynamic weather system arrives Sunday with rain and thunderstorms likely; the 00Z GFS shows a setup favorable for strong to severe thunderstorms for Alabama. We will watch model trends closely in coming days; this is the fall tornado season, so severe weather threats are not uncommon this time of the year. The high Sunday afternoon should be in the upper 60s, perhaps touching 70 degrees in a few places.

THANKSGIVING WEEK: Keep in mind we are getting out into the “land of voodoo”, but at this point the GFS shows rain lingering into Monday, then dry and pleasant weather Tuesday through Friday with highs generally in the 50s and lows in the 30s. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

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I have weather programs today at Erwin Intermediate School in Center Point, and Phillips Academy in Birmingham… be looking for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 or so this afternoon. Enjoy the day…

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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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