Showers And Storms Arrive Late Tonight
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WARMER DAYS: After some morning fog, we expect a mix of sun and clouds across Alabama today with a high in the upper 60s as mild weather returns to the Deep South.
TO THE WEST: Thunderstorms will break out this afternoon over much of Louisiana and Mississippi, where SPC has a “slight risk” of severe weather in place. Those storms will invade Alabama after midnight tonight.
The good news is that our severe weather risk still looks very minimal due to the lack of instability. A strong storm is certainly possible, but much of our convection here will be elevated. And, most of the rain will be over by mid-morning as the short wave sweeps to the east.
The sun might break out tomorrow afternoon, and we stay mild with a high near the 70 degree mark. Friday promises to be a nice day with a partly sunny sky and a high in the low 60s.
THE WEEKEND: A surface low will form over the northern Gulf of Mexico, pushing rain back into Alabama from the south Saturday. The 00Z GFS and ECMWF now suggest the rain could very well begin Saturday morning, continuing into Saturday night. While the heaviest rain will be near the Gulf Coast, amounts of around 1/2 inch look likely up this way. Severe weather won’t be an issue, and there probably won’t be thunder since we will be north of the surface low. I doubt if we get out of the 50s Saturday with clouds and rain.
The weather improves Sunday with a clearing sky; the latest GFS MOS shows a high of 52 degrees here on Sunday afternoon.
NEXT WEEK: We stay dry Monday… then moisture begins to return Tuesday, and the 06Z GFS shows another significant rain event here Wednesday. See the Weather Xtreme video for the long range ideas and graphics.
STORM ALERT 2012: Our annual severe weather awareness tour across Alabama comes to Pleasant Grove High School tomorrow night; we will show some very powerful stories from the generational tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011, including a look at the EF-4 tornado that did so much damage in Pleasant Grove and Concord. This is the Birmingham metro show, so we expect a big crowd. We kick things off at 6:30… be sure and get there early for a good seat.
CENTER POINT TOWN HALL: We will be doing a special town hall meeting at Center Point High School Sunday evening at 5:00 on the severe weather warning process in Alabama. We encourage you to come out and learn more about how the warning system worked during the early morning hours of January 23 when an EF-3 tornado tore through Center Point and Clay, killing one person. This event will be carried live on ABC 33/40, and the question and answer session will be streamed live.
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.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…
I will be in Tuscaloosa this morning visiting the Veteran’s Hospital…. and then later today I will be at the Publix on Highway 150 in Hoover for live weather at 4, 5, and 6:00 on ABC 33/40. We will have our team there programming Weather Radio receivers… so if you need some help, bring it on by and we will be glad to take care of it for you.
Not sure if I will have time for an afternoon video, but for sure I will post a fresh discussion here by 3:30 this afternoon. Enjoy the day!
Category: Alabama's Weather
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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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