Cold Rain Tonight; Ice And Snow Stay North

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.

RIGHT NOW: Temperatures are generally in the mid 40s along the I-20 corridor from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Anniston, but to the north readings are still near freezing over parts of Marion, Winston, and Cullman counties, where wet bulb cooling did it’s thing this morning as the precipitation started. While you can clearly see some ice on exposed surfaces in these counties, we have heard of no serious driving problems (roads are just wet, and not icy), and temperatures there will ease into the mid 30s this afternoon, so we do not expect any serious travel problems along the U.S. 278 corridor.

Pretty much the same story over extreme North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley; they have seen a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and some snow this morning, but so far no major driving problems there.

Warm air will move northward in the 2,000 to 7,000 foot range this afternoon, and anything that falls this afternoon and early tonight should be in the form of rain, and temperatures up north should ease up into the mid 30s.

TENNESSEE: This is where the big snow and ice event continues to unfold; we are now hearing of some power outages over Arkansas and West Tennessee due to ice load on trees and power lines. Most of the ice problems in Tennessee will be south of I-40, with all snow north of I-40, generally speaking. Gatlinburg is expecting 5 to 9 inches of snow during the next 24 hours, with heavier totals across the higher terrain of the Great Smoky Mountains.

This snow will move over into North Carolina and Virginia late tonight and tomorrow, where winter storm warnings are in effect.

COLD AND WET TONIGHT: A soaking rain is likely statewide tonight, with rain amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible. The NWS in Birmingham maintains a flash flood watch for much of North-Central Alabama, but for now we don’t expect widespread flooding issues. The rain will taper off early tomorrow, and we believe temperatures along I-20 (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston) will remain above freezing, and there will be no driving problems. However, to the north, icy spots on bridges are very possible north of U.S. 278, especially north of the Tennessee River.

OUR WEEKEND: Tomorrow will be cloudy, cold, and breezy with occasional snow flurries during the morning. Temperatures will have a hard time getting out of the 30s, and the wind chill index will be below freezing much of the day. Sunday will feature the return of sunshine; we will begin the day Sunday with temperatures down in the low 20s, with potential for upper teens across the colder spots over North Alabama. Then, under sunny sky, we will rise into the mid to upper 40s Sunday afternoon.

NEXT WEEK: A little scattered light rain is possible Tuesday, but the next major rain producer shows up on Thursday; looks like it could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to Alabama.

VOODOO LAND: We are still very interested in that big spike down on the AO chart at mid-month; watch the Weather Xtreme video for details.

LIVE CHAT: We are now offering a real time chat here on the blog… open blog comments will stay in place, of course, but this will allow a more immediate method of communication for weather geeks. We do have moderators posted over there, so be sure and play nice. Members of our weather team will be there from time to time to answer questions; we will post those times we are available here on the blog.

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 30 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left.

STORM ALERT 2010 COMING TO GADSDEN: Our annual severe weather tour across Alabama rolls along; we will be in Gadsden at the Convention Hall next Tuesday (NOT Thursday). You can meet the ABC 33/40 Weather team, see some amazing Alabama weather stories, learn how to keep your family safe this tornado season, and win some cool stuff. The show begins at 7:00; be sure and get there early to get a good seat. See the entire tour schedule here!

I had a great time today visiting with the kindergarten kids at Weaver Elementary in Calhoun County; be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! Brian Peters is out of town this weekend, so we won’t have another Weather Xtreme video until my next one Monday morning, but we will keep the blog updated with fresh information throughout the weekend!

Category: Uncategorized