Cold Air Arrives Friday

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RIGHT NOW: A band of showers continues to press southward… the rain is lined up from near Roanoke to Rockford to Selma at 3:00… behind the front the sky has cleared with sunshine now seen in places like Fayette, Jasper, and Cullman. Temperatures are little cooler in the wake of the rain, but the really colder air is still well to the north of Alabama.

TONIGHT AND TOMORROW: While there could be a few showers on radar, we don’t expect anything really organized as the surface front moves north of the state, and the dynamic support remains well to the north and west. The weather stays mild with a high in the low to mid 70s tomorrow with a generally cloudy sky.

TRAVEL ISSUES: The big problems are out west, where cold and snow is an issue. Blizzard warnings are up for much of Colorado and Utah, and snow is likely north into Wyoming and Montana. SPC has a slight risk of severe weather in place for the general area from Tulsa to St. Louis. See the Weather Xtreme video for the graphics, but the good news is that the eastern third of the nation will be very quiet with few weather problems.

THANKSGIVING DAY: The day will be generally dry with a high in the 70s. A few showers could form, but they should be widely spaced. The sun should peek out from behind the clouds at times. A warm Thanksgiving Day for the Deep South, while the northern and western states are shivering.

THURSDAY NIGHT: The Polar front will finally get a good kick to the south, and a band of showers and storms will move in here late Thursday night, perhaps after midnight. The good news is that the risk of severe weather is rather marginal, but a strong storm is certainly possible.

RAW FRIDAY: No change in our thinking for Friday… basically a raw, cold, and damp day. Temperatures will fall into the mid 40s and hover there all day. Some light rain is likely Friday morning, ending from northwest to southeast during the early afternoon. A stiff north breeze will make it feel folder.

IRON BOWL FORECAST: Cloudy, breezy, and cold. The 1:30 kickoff temperature in Tuscaloosa will be near 46 degrees, dropping slowly to near 43 by the end of the game. While there is a decent chance the rain will end by kickoff time, I can’t rule out a little lingering light rain during the first half.

THE WEEKEND: Look for a brighter weekend, with sunny weather Saturday and Sunday. We will begin the weekend with an early morning low in the mid 20s Saturday, but then we rise into the upper 50s Saturday afternoon, followed by low 60s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: The GFS continues to advertise a robust system in here early next week, with rain and strong thunderstorms Monday night into Tuesday. Colder and drier air follows on Wednesday. And, out there in the land of voodoo, the Dec 5-6 blizzard is off the table on the 12Z run, as we all knew would happen, but that run does bring in a strong system around December 7-8 with rain, perhaps changing to snow on the back side of the system. All hocus pocus for now.

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Had a great time seeing the big crowd at the annual Rick and Bubba Turkey Toss, which was held this morning in Montgomery. Will post some pictures shortly… also it was good visiting with seniors at Vincent High School this afternoon discussion meteorology as a career. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

Category: Alabama's Weather