Another Hard Freeze Tonight
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THIS AFTERNOON: Temperatures are about 15 degrees below average this afternoon across Alabama, despite the fact the state is bathed in sunshine. Birmingham reports only 36 degrees at 2:00… with a northwest wind at 8 mph making the wind chill index 30. We also note the dewpoint is only 8 degrees, meaning the air is very dry. The NWS continues a “red flag warning” for all 67 Alabama counties.
WHAT IS A RED FLAG WARNING? Here is the official definition from the NWS Birmingham…
“In Alabama during May 1 through October 31, there must be a combination low relative humidities (at or below 30%), gusty winds (sustained 20 foot winds of 10 mph or greater), and dry conditions (KBDI indices equal to or exceeding 500, except this criteria is suspended for counties under a Fire Alert) for a Red Flag Warning to be issued. From November 1 through April 30, one of the following criteria must be met: relative humidity values < 25% for 4 or more consecutive hours OR relative humidity values < 25% with sustained 20 ft winds of 20 mph or higher, with no time restrictions." Bottom line is that you need to be careful if you are burning outdoors. HARD FREEZE: We will forecast an average low between 20 and 24 tonight, but we all know those valleys and protected areas will be colder, where teens are likely. Scroll down for a list of lows across our state this morning. WARMER DAYS: We warm up nicely over the latter half of the week, with low 50s tomorrow, mid 50s Thursday, and mid 60s Friday. Clouds begin to increase Friday, and we might consider some risk of a shower by late afternoon over West Alabama. WEEKEND FORECAST: Saturday will be a mostly cloudy and mild day with a chance of showers. There is no real surface based instability over the northern half of the state, so we won't mention thunder for now. Rain amounts should be fairly light, generally a quarter inch or less. Despite those clouds, the high Saturday should be in the mid 60s. Then, we expect a clearing sky Sunday as the rain moves to the east, and afternoon temperatures drop back into the 50s. NEXT WEEK: Watch the Weather Xtreme video for details... looks like our next rain opportunity will come Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with a disturbance in the southern branch of the jet stream. Then, global models show another sharp but short lived cold snap toward the end of next week, similar to the one we are dealing with now. NEW ORLEANS: For the Alabama fans headed to NOLA for the BCS National Championship game... the weather will be dry and mild tomorrow and Thursday. A few showers are possible Friday and Saturday, but the high will be close to 70 on those days. Sunday will be dry with a high in the 60s, and the weather turns a bit cooler Monday of next week, with a sunny sky and a high in the 50s. METEOR SHOWER LATE TONIGHT: From NASA: The 2012 Quadrantids, a little-known meteor shower named after an extinct constellation, will present an excellent chance for hardy souls to start the year off with some late-night meteor watching. Peaking in the wee morning hours of Jan. 4, the Quadrantids have a maximum rate of about 100 per hour, varying between 60-200. The waxing gibbous moon will set around 3 a.m. local time, leaving about two hours of excellent meteor observing before dawn. It's a good thing, too, because unlike the more famous Perseid and Geminid meteor showers, the Quadrantids only last a few hours -- it's the morning of Jan. 4, or nothing. Like the Geminids, the Quadrantids originate from an asteroid, called 2003 EH1. Dynamical studies suggest that this body could very well be a piece of a comet which broke apart several centuries ago, and that the meteors you will see before dawn on Jan. 4 are the small debris from this fragmentation. After hundreds of years orbiting the sun, they will enter our atmosphere at 90,000 mph, burning up 50 miles above Earth's surface -- a fiery end to a long journey! The Quadrantids derive their name from the constellation of Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant), which was created by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795. Located between the constellations of Bootes and Draco, Quadrans represents an early astronomical instrument used to observe and plot stars. Even though the constellation is no longer recognized by astronomers, it was around long enough to give the meteor shower -- first seen in 1825 -- its name. WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 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. We will record this week’s episode tonight; you can listen live here via UStream.
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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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