Sunday Morning Weather Xtreme Video: Lots of Showers in Our Future

Saturday was a gorgeous, warm early March day with a good supply of sunshine, and warm temperatures running some 10-15 degrees above normal. Today will feature a cold front slowing sinking southward across the northern part of the state. This will lead to significant differences in temperatures across Alabama today along with a few showers, mainly for areas north of I-20. Let’s dig into the details.

FOR YOUR SUNDAY: We are starting off this morning with scattered showers across the northern third of our state. Temperatures are in the 50s over northwestern Alabama, in the lower 60s along I-20, and in the middle 60s over South Central Alabama. The front will sag south to near I-20 by lunchtime. That boundary will separate temperatures that struggle to reach the 60s to the north, from the middle and upper 70s to the south. Clouds should hang tough all day across most of the area, with the best chances for some sun to the south of Montgomery. The rain should move out by late afternoon, setting the stage for a mostly cloudy, mostly dry night, with lows ranging from the upper 40s near Hamilton, to the middle 50s along I-20, to the lower 60ss over South Central Alabama in places like Montgomery and Troy.

BACKDOOR COLD FRONT: In addition to the front we have sagging into Central Alabama from the north, we will also see the infamous cold air damming wedging into Alabama from the east. This front will edge into eastern sections late tonight, and penetrate into parts of Calhoun, Cleburne, Clay, Randolph, Clay, Tallapoosa, and Lee Counties. It will play a role in our temperatures tomorrow.

MONDAY: HEAVY CLOUDS, NO RAIN: Stealing from a great song by Sting for the forecast for Monday. Mostly cloudy skies across North and Central Alabama, but it should be mainly dry. Highs will again exhibit a wide range, defined by our two fronts. For areas along and north of I-20, and east of the backdoor cold front, temperatures will top out in the 50s to the middle 60s. To the south, middle 60s to middle 70s will prevail. A northward moving warm front will bring warmth and moisture back northward, in response to low pressure developing to our west.

RAIN RETURNS: Rain will return Monday night and last through much of Tuesday. But like today, there is a pretty good chance you will see some rainfall, but the amounts will be generally light, less than a quarter of an inch. Highs will be in the upper 60s across the Tennessee Valley into the middle and upper 70s to the south. The front responsible for the rain will sag to near I-20 during the day, pushing the rain to the south of it. Tuesday night lows will be in the 50s and lower 60s.

MORE RAIN FOR MIDWEEK: Again, the airmass will surge northward ahead of a stronger surface low moving through the Midwest, setting the stage for a warm day on Wednesday. Highs will be in the middle 70s up north, to upper 70s along I-20, to near 80F in places like Demopolis, Montgomery, and Troy. The warm, moist, unstable airmass will trigger additional showers and storms. Nothing strong or severe expected, but always expect the unexpected.

THURSDAY: We will still be waiting on the surface front to arrive on Thursday. Expect a warm, humid day, with showers in the morning and more showers and storms in the afternoon and evening. Highs will be in the middle and upper 70s.

FRIDAY: A moderate cold front will push into Alabama late Thursday night and Friday morning. Widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected as it moves into the area. It is expected to stall across the middle of the state, and this will set the stage for the best rain chances to occur Friday and Saturday. The rain will be pushed into South Alabama on Sunday, with the following Monday looking like a dry day. Lows Saturday and Sunday morning will fall back into the 40s, with 50s for highs on Saturday.

VOODOO COUNTRY: More rain the week of the 23rd. The first couple of days will be cool, but the remainder of that week will be warm.

BEACHCAST: Fog will be an issue along the beautiful beaches of Alabama and Northwest Florida tonight and Monday night. A few showers are possible Tuesday and Wednesday with more rain chances returning for the weekend. Nice temperatures all week, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Lows will be in the 60s. The UV index is already very high along the coast, and water temperatures are running in the middle 60s. They will be warming rapidly in coming weeks.

Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHERBRAINS: This week, the panel will entertain a large group of broadcasters and meteorologists talking about the Nashville tornado Check out the show at www.WeatherBrains.com. You can also subscribe on iTunes. You can watch the show live at live.bigbrainsmedia.com or on James’ YouTube Channel You will be able to see the show on the James Spann 24×7 weather channel on cable or directly over the air on the dot 2 feed.

ON THIS DATE IN 1899: An early morning F2 tornado skipped along a four-mile path on the eastern side of Birmingham from Avondale to Woodlawn. Twenty-five homes and two churches were damaged or destroyed. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter. I am @wxhistorian at Twitter.com.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS