Winter Storm Watch For Friday

COLD TODAY, MUCH COLDER FRIDAY: The one thing for sure is that the weather in Alabama will be very cold Friday through the weekend. Most North Alabama communities are only in the 40s this afternoon, and the second phase of the big chill arrives Friday; many places across North Alabama will stay below freezing all day. The big question, of course, involves potential for winter “mischief” along with the cold.

WINTER STORM WATCH: The NWS Birmingham has issued a winter storm watch for Friday for Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Walker, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount. Etowah, Cherokee, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne, and Clay counties…

The watch is in effect from 6:00 a.m. Friday through 9:00 a.m. Saturday; light snow could begin as early as 6:00 Friday morning.

The criteria for a winter storm watch here is 2 inches of snow, and there is a chance some communities in the watch area could very well get 2-3 inches of snow by Friday night. But, understand many places in the watch won’t get two inches… in fact some places could very well not see a single flake. That is the way it usually works with winter weather situations in Alabama.

To the north, over the Tennessee Valley, any accumulation of snow Friday should be light.

And, to the south, if you are in places like Montgomery, Selma, Auburn, even Greenville and Troy, there is some chance you might deal with a “wintry mix” of sleet and freezing rain Friday night.

IMPACT: With relatively light snow expected, we don’t expect any power outages. The main issue is the potential for icy travel, possibly beginning as early as Friday morning, when temperatures will be in the upper 20s. And, even during the midday hours Friday, it will be hard for us to rise above 32 degrees, so icy spots are very possible, especially on bridges and overpasses during the day where snow falls.

The chance of icy travel continues into Friday night, and as cold air drops southward, understand we could see some sleet/freezing rain issues down into South/Central Alabama (but probably no snow there).

Here is a look at the probability of over one inch of snow from 6am Friday through 6am Saturday, if you are traveling…

Wintry precipitation will end very early Saturday morning as the wave in the Gulf of Mexico lifts out.

IMPORTANT: There is still considerable model disagreement concerning potential for snow Friday; the winter storm watch was issued as a “course of least regret”. The GFS model is the most aggressive, other models show much lighter amounts, so please understand there will be come places in the winter storm watch that receive very little snow.

And, at some point the watch will be most likely upgraded to a “winter weather advisory”. Understand that IS an upgrade from a watch.

And, of course, more forecast changes are a good possibility, so please check in often for updates as we approach the event. Take some time to watch the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and more details.

VERY COLD WEEKEND: The sky becomes partly sunny Saturday, and Sunday should be mostly sunny, but very cold Arctic air stays in place. The high Saturday will be in the 30s, and the latest GFS run is printing a low of 15 degrees for Birmingham early Sunday morning. Monday morning should be just as cold.

A warming trend begins early next week, and rain returns to the state by Tuesday night and Wednesday.

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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Tags: ANC, snow

Category: Alabama's Weather