Heaviest Snow Should Be Over East Alabama

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MORE EARLY MARCH SNOW: One year ago today, we were all playing in the snow; most of Alabama had 2 to 4 inches, with some isolated totals to 5 inches. Here we go again….

THE LATEST: Watch the Weather Xtreme video for our snow projection, or scroll down and see it in the post below this one. The 12Z runs were generally wetter and colder, and with the very real threat of dynamic cooling, some accumulating snow seems likely for parts of Alabama late tonight and tomorrow.

WHERE, AND HOW MUCH? As you can see, we have projected 1 to 3 inches of snow for East and Northeast Alabama. Much of this accumulation will be on grassy areas; road surfaces and bridges for the most part will be just wet tomorrow, and I don’t think travel will be impacted all that much. The concern is that some elevated instability is showing up, meaning we could see a little convective snow on the deformation axis, which should be somewhere around I-20. Seems like the best thermal values for accumulating show will be east of Birmingham, where the snow could be heavy at times tomorrow morning. Some snow is likely to the west and north, but probably not much, and no serious accumulation is expected.

Some communities in the “1 to 3 inch” box include Anniston, Gadsden, Roanoke, Wedowee, Hefin, Ashland, and Talladega. We are projecting a dusting to 1 inch for the Birmingham metro area. We note the NWS in Birmingham has just issued a winter weather advisory for this general area.

WHEN? Rain, perhaps mixed with some sleet, will begin tonight, with a chance to snow by daybreak tomorrow. Seems like the best chance of snow will come from about 6:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. tomorrow. Flurries are possible through the afternoon and evening hours.

A WORD OF CAUTION: As I wrote earlier this morning, this forecast package is fraught with danger for meteorologists. Many things can go wrong here with marginal thermal values, but very cold air aloft and a dynamic system. I will almost guarantee there will be surprises here, so be ready for forecast adjustments as the system gets closer.

THE REST OF THE WEEK: We will be cold and dry Wednesday with gradual clearing and a high in the 40s; sunshine returns in full force on Thursday as we climb to near 50. Then, look for a sunny day Friday with mid 50s.

MILD WEEKEND: We are expecting a wonderful weekend, with ample sunshine and a high in the mid 60s Saturday, followed by upper 60s on Sunday, maybe we will flirt with 70.

NEXT WEEK: We are still looking at some risk of heavy rain or strong storms on Tuesday of next week; watch the Weather Xtreme video for full details.

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