Interesting Times Are Ahead

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“May you live in interesting times”… I have heard that phrase mentioned as a “Chinese curse”. Whatever it is, we certainly are living in interesting times in the Alabama weather office after a review of model data this morning. Four waves on the board in the next 14 days could bring a weather smorgasbord to our state. I think we need to name these waves so we can identify them clearly. How about…

ANDREW: Our first wave is producing snow over Texas today. looks like the heaviest snow will be south of Dallas/Fort Worth, although the metroplex could see 1 to 2 inches. Places like Waco and College Station could very well be in the sweet spot today. Ahead of this system, Alabama will be mostly cloudy and cool today with a high in the low 50s. We will mention a chance of some light rain tonight, possibly changing to light snow or snow flurries before ending tomorrow morning. We do note the NAM is now printing 0.10″ with this system, so we will have to watch for any potential surprises after midnight tonight.

So, again, look for some light rain tonight, with a potential change to light snow or flurries after midnight into tomorrow morning. I guess some places could see a dusting of snow, but for now we don’t expect any serious accumulation.

The sky should begin to clear tomorrow afternoon, and Thursday will be cold and dry with a high in the mid to upper 40s.

BERTHA: Our second wave will bring a chance of rain to South Mississippi Friday, and perhaps some snow to North Mississippi. Watch the Weather Xtreme video and you will see the 06Z GFS has become more aggressive, and with a position farther north, putting down some measurable snow for North-Central Alabama Friday night. However, that run is a clear outlier, as the ECMWF and the GEM keep precipitation here light with the Gulf low passing pretty far to the south. So, for now, we will just mention some risk of light rain or light snow Friday night into early Saturday morning.

You know the deal, we take em one at a time, so we really need to get Andrew out of the way before we can focus on Bertha.

After the light precipitation ends Saturday morning, the weekend looks generally dry. The high Saturday should be in the 40s, with a high close to 50 Sunday. Sunday could actually work out to be a fairly decent day.

CLARENCE: This is the one to really watch for you snow fans. A major low is forecast to form in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico early next week, and has the potential to bring a significant snow to somebody across the Deep South. Since we don’t want to get too specific with Bertha, no way can we really deal with Clarence now. Watch the Weather Xtreme video; you can see the 06Z GFS brings a nice snow to the I-20 corridor Monday, but we stress that can, and will probably change many times between now and then.

DOLLY: This one shows up in the March 8 time frame that looks like a major severe weather/tornado outbreak across the Deep South, but we all know that is voodoo and Dolly will probably vanish off the board in future runs.

Clearly, lots of interesting weather ahead for Alabama with potential for surprises along the way. Watch the video for details and stay tuned.

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Today I have stops at Meadow View Elementary in Alabaster, and Bluff Park Elementary in Hoover… I will be in the office by early afternoon, and the next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 3:30 or so. Enjoy the day!

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