Close To Record Warmth Tomorrow

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STILL A SHARP CONTRAST: Amazing the staying power of that surface boundary over North Alabama. When I left Birmingham this morning, my car thermometer was showing 65 degrees. When I arrived a Hamilton Elementary, the temperature was 47 degrees with light rain. The boundary is still clearly defined this afternoon; at 2:00 Birmingham was reporting 69, while Muscle Shoals was at 48.

North of the warm front, low clouds and fog continue to be widespread across North Alabama with some light rain and drizzle. The front should move slowly northward out of the state tonight.

WARM DECEMBER DAYS: Looks like highs somewhere between 70 and 75 tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday, not far from record levels for this time of the year. Birmingham’s record high tomorrow is 76 (set in 1984). The chance of significant rain on all three days looks rather small at this point; any showers should be isolated, and mostly over the northern third of the state, or north of U.S. 278. While low clouds and fog will be the story each morning, there should be some decent intervals of afternoon sunshine along the way.

COLD AIR RETURNS: Sunday still looks wet with a strong surface front passing through the state, and I still think it will be a day of falling temperatures. We will probably start the day in the 50s, then falling through the 40s, and reaching the 30s by Sunday night. I still believe the rain will be gone by the time temperatures at the surface reach 32. We will sure keep an eye on it, however.

Monday looks cold and dry with a high not too far from 40 degrees; that will be quite a shock compared to the warmth we are expecting during the next 3 days.

CHRISTMAS WEATHER: Tuesday looks dry and warmer, and confidence is growing in a significant rain event on Christmas Eve, Wednesday December 24, with a surface front passing through the state supported by a robust upper trough. Looks like a good soaking with potential for one inch of rain statewide. Watch the Weather Xtreme video and see that the 12Z GFS hints at some risk of a few snow flurries on the back side of the departing system. But, those situations rarely produce significant snow, and we sure won’t mention it at this point. A fun idea, however…

Christmas Day looks cool and dry, with a high around 50, and a low in the 25 to 30 degree range.

VOODOO LAND: See the video for the NAO chart; looks like we trend toward neutral or negative territory by the New Year, and that could mean some very cold days around here if correct.

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Be watching for the 4th graders at Hamilton Elementary on the 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…

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