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Sunday Weather Video: Severe Weather Possible Wednesday Night

| February 5, 2023 @ 5:09 am

John Jeffries was born on this date. He was a loyalist doctor during the Revolutionary War who kept some of the earliest detailed weather records in the American Colonies. We honor his memory by dedicating February 5th as National Weather Person’s Day.

SATURDAY ACROSS ALABAMA: Yesterday was a nice day across Central Alabama. The day dawned clear and cold, with early morning readings in the upper 20s to lower 30s. The clear skies turned to mostly cloudy by early afternoon as a wave of vorticity passed through the state. Afternoon readings were in the upper 50s. It was 58F at Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, 57F in Calera, and 56F at Anniston.

FOR YOUR SUNDAY: High pressure has set up shop over the Great Smoky Mountains on this first Sunday in February. Things are starting off in the middle and upper 30s for the most part across North and Central Alabama, with a few 40-degree readings over South Central Alabama and in the urban areas. Skies are partly sunny to mostly cloudy this morning, but sunshine should be increasing in most areas as we go through the day. High temperatures this afternoon will be in the upper 50s in the Tennessee Valley with lower and middle 60s across Central sections. Lows tonight will be in the 30s for the most part

START OF THE WORK WEEK: The high pressure over the Southeast will set up off the Atlantic coast. Kicking in the southerly flow, and bringing moisture into the region. Widespread 60s will prevail Monday, with a few 70s thrown in on Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY WETNESS: By Wednesday morning, low pressure will be forming to the west of Alabama and heading northeast. It will be breezy at times Wednesday afternoon and night. Rain and thunderstorms will be pushing across the Arklatex heading toward Alabama. Showers may reach western sections during the day, but the main rain and storms will arrive Wednesday night at the low moves into Indiana. Highs on Wednesday will be near 70F. Precipitable water values will be well above normal, so some heavy rain will be possible, but overall rainfall amounts should be under one in for Alabama. Much heavier rain will fall back to the west over Arkansas, where some flooding could occur.

SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE AS WELL: There may be enough instability over the western part of Central Alabama for severe thunderstorms to occur. It does look like the best chances will be over South Alabama, but with up to 1,000 joules/kg of instability and plenty of shear, there is a chance for damaging winds and tornadoes. Pay attention to later forecasts because as we get closer, this potential will come into clearer focus.

THURSDAY SETS THE STAGE FOR A COOL WEEKEND: The rain will be moving out Thursday morning and be mostly into Georgia by noon. The breezy conditions will continue into Thursday morning. High on Thursday will still be mild in advance of the main cold front and upper low which will bring cooler weather for the weekend.

TALKING ABOUT THAT WEEKEND: It looks like the cold front will arrive late Thursday night, with gusty northwesterly winds. Highs on Friday will be in the 50s for the most part. Locations along US-80 could still see highs near 60F. A strong disturbance will pass to the north of Alabama Friday night, possibly bringing some light rain or light snow to the northern part of the state. There could be a light dusting for communities near the Tennessee border, but it won’t amount to much. Saturday will be much cooler, starting off below freezing over the northern third of the area, with 30s elsewhere. Highs on Saturday will be mostly in the 40s. Sunday morning will be even colder, with lows in the 20s. But Sunday highs will rebound into the 50s.

WEEK TWO: Better known in these parts as Voodooland, it’s the extended period of the forecast. The warmup on Sunday will be part of a larger warmup that extends into Week Two thanks to a subtropical high off the Southeast Atlantic coast. We should stay dry until late Tuesday when the next round of showers and storms arrives in Alabama. It looks like the second system will follow closely on the heels of the first one.

BEACHCAST: Nice and mild through most of Wednesday along the beautiful beaches of Alabama and Northwest Florida. Rain and storms will return Wednesday night, ending from the west on Thursday, setting the stage for a cool and dry weekend. Highs will be in the upper 60s and lower 70s through Tuesday, with 70s Wednesday and Thursday, before falling back into the 40s by Saturday. Water temperatures are currently in the middle 50s.

Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

NATIONALLY: Some decent snows affecting the Sierra Mountains of northern California today. 1-2 feet of snow is expected in parts of Mono County and above 7,000 feet in the Lake Tahoe area, Avalanche warnings are in effect for portions of the eastern Sierra. Winds could gust to 100 mph in higher elevations.

DANCING WITH THE STATS: Temperatures yesterday ran 30 degrees below normal over New England. Many record lows were set yesterday, including all 3 New York Airports, including 4F at JFK and 5F at LaGuardia and Newark. It was -4F at Bridgeport CT, also a record. How about -24F at Glens Falls NY, also a record.

ADVERTISE WITH US: Deliver your message to a highly engaged audience by advertising on the AlabamaWX.com website. We have a lot of big plans for this year. Don’t miss out! We can customize a creative, flexible, and affordable package that will suit your organization’s needs. Contact me, Bill Murray, at (205) 687-0782, and let’s talk.

WEATHERBRAINS: This week, the panel will entertain three mets from the NWS State College who will be talking about their work in snow squall forecasting and warning. Check out the show at www.WeatherBrains.com. You can also subscribe on iTunes. You can watch the show live on our new YouTube channel for the show. 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 2002: California’s San Joaquin Valley is known for extremely dense winter fogs. The radiational fog events can last for several days and often reduce visibilities to zero. Dense fog formed in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley on the mornings of the 5th and 6th, causing numerous traffic accidents. The fog was most dense on the 5th when two massive accidents on State Highway 99 killed 3 people and caused over 30 injuries. Nearly 100 cars were involved. Vehicle damage totaled nearly $500,000 and other intangible losses from delays. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter. I am @wxhistorian at Twitter.com.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS

About the Author ()

Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian

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