Too Cool For March

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CLOUDS HANG TOUGH: An interesting day for Alabama; the sun is shining brightly at Montgomery and points south, but clouds are going nowhere over the northern half of the state. And, with no sun at all, temperatures remain a good 15 degrees below average for mid-March. And, quite frankly, with only 50 degrees at Birmingham at 3:00, that is 10 degrees below our forecast for today. Quite the bust.

TOMORROW AND THURSDAY: Sure looks like we won’t see much sunshine at all tomorrow, and just a limited amount on Thursday. And, on both days, we will mention the chance of some scattered light rain statewide. Rain amounts should be light and spotty; the NAM is printing only 0.02″ of rain for Birmingham though mid-week, with the GFS showing 0.07″.

FRIDAY: This still looks like the best day of the week, with a good supply of sunshine returning along with a high around 70 degrees. It will feel much, much better by then.

THE WEEKEND: The 12Z GFS is a little slower with our weekend cold front. Saturday looks dry and mild with a high in the low 70s. Clouds will gradually increase during the day, and a shower could arrive late Saturday night, after midnight. The main window for showers and storms seems to be from about 4:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. Sunday. The chance of severe weather and heavy rain still looks low at this point, although the 12Z GFS is a little more aggressive with the moisture. See the Weather Xtreme video for more details. Sunday will be sharply colder with temperatures possibly holding in the 40s all day.

NEXT WEEK: Monday looks chilly, with a high around 50 following a morning low in the 30s. The latest GFS does not show a surface wave in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico, which could mean potential for some clearing and a colder morning. MOS shows a low of 35 degrees for Birmingham at daybreak Monday; we will be on the lookout for potential for a late season freeze as we get closer. Tuesday and Wednesday look dry with a warming trend.

LONG RANGE: The weather looks very changeable as we wrap up the month of March, with potential for a few wet weather systems and cold snaps. Impossible to be specific far in advance with this type of active pattern.

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. We will record this week’s show tonight; it will be available by 11:00 p.m.

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I had a great time today seeing the 2nd graders at Odenville Elementary… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. The next Weather Xtreme video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

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