Late Night Look

If you look hard, you can make out the edge of the low stratus cloud deck tonight on the infrared satellite image. It extends from south of Memphis to near Columbus MS to between Birmingham and Montgomery. That cloud layer acts like a blanket, keeping in heat that would otherwise radiate out into space and make temperatures at the surface colder. That cloud blanket will be gone area wide tomorrow night, meaning it will be several degrees colder in places like Birmingham, Muscle Shoals, Huntsville, Gadsden and Anniston.

The cloud deck is building southward and could reach Montgomery soon, which will arrest their temperature temperature drop off.

Before this night is out, temperatures at Dothan could be a few degrees colder than those at Birmingham, or even Muscle Shoals. You can already see it over in Mississippi. It is 28F at Memphis, but 19F at Greenwood already.

In fact, the temperature at Birmingham actually fell to 27F before the clouds filled back in. Since then the mercury has actually risen a degree. It had gotten down to 24F at Columbus MS, but I bet they will go back up a couple of degrees as well.

So, our readings may not be quite as cold as we expected tonight since we thought the cloud cover would stay a little thinner. But look out tomorrow night, when those readings will bottom out in the teens across most of the area.

BE ALERT FOR BLACK ICE TONIGHT/MONDAY MORNING
Any wet spots on roads or slushy areas will refreeze tonight creating the potential for those nearly invisible and very treacherous patches of black ice on area roads. Be very cautious when driving through tomorrow morning early, especially on secondary roads, bridges and overpasses.

Category: Alabama's Weather