Arctic Blast Later This Week
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PIX GALORE: I am amazed at the quality and creativity in the thousands of pictures sent to us during the past 24 hours of the big snow event over North Alabama… be sure and scroll down to see some of them. Great work.
TRAVEL: Before we talk weather, I am bombarded about questions for travel conditions tonight and tomorrow. It all depends on where you are. If you are in the zone with a thick snow cover, travel will be very icy tonight and tomorrow morning, and I would imagine most school systems will not be open there (most have already decided to close). The big question involves the I-20 corridor… the cities of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Anniston, just to the south of the heavy snow zone. A very iffy situation; no doubt temperatures will drop below freezing tonight in these cities, and I fully expect icy spots to develop on all bridges. Generally speaking this afternoon, roads and most bridges are only wet with temperatures in the mid 30s, but Anniston is at 32 right now, and with Birmingham at 34, the city should be below freezing by 6:00 p.m. And, Tuscaloosa should hit the freezing mark by 8:00.
TONIGHT/TOMORROW: A disturbance coming down from the northwest could bring a little freezing drizzle or light snow to North Alabama late tonight and tomorrow, but it probably will rather insignificant, certainly in comparison to the big winter storm we just dealt with. Most communities will drop into the 24-28 degree range early tomorrow, but the good news is that we will rise into the upper 30s tomorrow afternoon. No heat wave, but at least it will give us a chance for some melting before the Siberian express arrives at mid-week.
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: The coldest air so far this season blows in here Wednesday, which should keep snow in the yard for much of North Alabama all the way through Saturday. The high Wednesday will be close to 32, and we will have a hard time getting out of the 20s on Thursday. Expect these morning lows…
Wednesday morning: 15-20
Thursday morning: 12-17
Friday morning: 10-15
Understand where there is a good blanket of snow on the ground, single digit lows are likely Friday morning. We finally begin to moderate a bit Friday afternoon with a high in the low 40s. The weather will be dry Wednesday through Friday with a good supply of sunshine each day, helping to offset the cold just a little bit.
OUR WEEKEND: Saturday will be a decent day with a good supply of sunshine and a high in the upper 40s. We should reach the low 50s Sunday, but clouds will increase, and some rain could reach the state Sunday night.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: Some light rain remains possible into Monday of next week, but the GFS suggests amounts will be 1/2 inch or less. Drier air follows for Tuesday and Wednesday. And, it sure looks like a pattern change with the NAO trending toward positive territory, meaning much milder weather for Alabama for the latter half of January, generally speaking. In fact, the GFS looks quite mild and story around Jan 25; see the Weather Xtreme video for more details.
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. NOTE: We will record this week’s episode tomorrow night… NOT tonight… at 8:30 p.m. CST.
FOLLOW ALONG: Here are our weather team Twitter accounts….
| James Spann | Jason Simpson | Ashley Brand |
| J. B. Elliott | Bill Murray | Brian Peters |
| Dr. Tim Coleman | WeatherBrains Podcast | E-Warn (AL wx watches/warnings) |
Thanks to Bill Murray, J.B. Elliott, Jason Simpson, and Dr. Tim Coleman for their excellent work on the blog during the last 5 to 7 days prior to and during the winter storm. I challenge you to find another local weather site in the nation with the depth of information we provide here. These guys are fantastic to work with. Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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