Nice Warm-Up Today
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FROSTY MORNING: Most communities are below the freezing mark this morning… a few observations from our Skywatcher chat include 23 at Black Creek (northeast of Gadsden) with a “huge frost”, 26 at Concord, 27 at Fayette, and 31 at Lake View in East Tuscaloosa County. Despite the morning chill we warm up very nicely today with a sunny sky; most places will reach the low to mid 60s this afternoon.
Tomorrow will be warmer with a high in the upper 60s with a partly sunny sky; yet another spring-like day in this mild winter of 2011-12.
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: The next short wave will impact Alabama at mid-week with a chance of showers mainly Wednesday night into early Thursday. This is not a set up for severe weather, and we probably won’t have much thunder. Rain amounts of 1/2 inch or less seem likely, and most of the rain should be east of here by midday Thursday. The 06Z GFS hints the showers will actually be gone by daybreak Thursday. And, no cold air involved with this; looks like we see a high in the upper 60s both days.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: At this point Friday is looking dry and very mild with a mix of sun and clouds; the high will be very close to the 70 degree mark. Not bad for early February in Alabama. But, we do note the ECMWF is hinting that showers are possible Friday… for now we will ride with the dry GFS and make adjustments as needed later in the week.
Then, for the weekend, a closed upper low sets up shop northwest of Alabama, and our weather looks unsettled with a chance of showers both Saturday and Sunday. Nothing really continuous or heavy, but keep in mind if you have outdoor plans this weekend you will probably have to dodge a few raindrops. The high Saturday will be in the 60s, but Sunday should be a tad cooler with highs dropping back into the 50s.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: The weather could stay wet at times into early next week as the stagnant weather pattern continues.
In the longer range, we have great interesting in watching the brutally cold air over Alaska where some communities are flirting with 60 degrees below zero (F) this morning. We all know that air will move, but the NAO just doesn’t show strong signs of going negative anytime soon, which means there is a decent chance we might not have to deal with much of the Arctic air, at least for any long periods of time. Still, models can have a hard time handling that kind of extremely cold airmass, so we will be watching closely. Take some time to watch the Weather Xtreme video for the graphics and details.
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 at 8:30 p.m. CST…
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I will be doing a weather program this morning at Pinecrest Elemnentary School in Sylacauga… be looking for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
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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