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Interesting Late Week System Ahead

| March 5, 2008 @ 6:07 am | 39 Replies

An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player below, and on iTunes…

We still have some stubborn clouds around early this morning, but subsidence should crush them and the sky should be mostly sunny through the day today, with a nice warm-up and a high around 60 degrees. Tomorrow will be even warmer, with a partly sunny sky and a high in the mid 60s.

FUN AND GAMES DEPARTMENT: We will bring in the chance of showers late tomorrow night, and for Friday we will highlight periods of rain as a surface low passes just south of here. Models have trended northward with the surface low, pretty much ruling out any snow flakes on Friday. But, snow lovers, don’t give up just yet.

Both the GFS and the NAM show a decent chance of the rain changing to snow before ending over the northern half of Alabama in the period from midnight Friday night until 8:00 a.m. Saturday. This surface low track, along with the position of the upper trough, would suggest a chance of accumulating snow for the northeast part of Alabama, especially counties like Jackson, Madison, Marshall, and DeKalb. Warm soil would probably limit the accumulation, but one to two inches is certainly not out of the question in this part of Alabama.

A dusting is possible with this setup down to Birmingham and Anniston early Saturday morning as cold air rushes into the state. Doesn’t look like a big deal, but this thing sure bears watching. March storms like this can offer some surprises; it is all about the track of the surface low, and depth of the upper trough and the associated dynamic cooling involved. This will be fun to watch in coming days.

Just for fun, here is the precipitation type graphic from the GFS valid for 3 to 6 a.m. Saturday….

REST OF THE WEEKEND: Light snow flurries could continue during the day Saturday, and it will be cold and blustery. We might have a hard time getting out of the 30s with interval of sunshine by afternoon. Sunday will be more comfortable; after a cold start, perhaps a little below freezing, we will rise into the low 60s Sunday afternoon.

NEXT WEEK: A little vort max could squeeze out a few showers Monday evening, but it sure doesn’t look like a big deal. The next major storm system shows up next Thursday, March 13… strong to severe storms will be a problem if the GFS is correct.

And, out into voodoo land an array of storm systems is still showing up in the March 15-23 time frame. No dull moments around here.

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. You can even listen here on the blog; look for the player on the top left. We have a new episode available this morning….

Busy day today… I am speaking at Trinity Methodist Church School in Homewood this morning, and then I will make an appearance on the ABC 33/40 midday news at 11:00 this morning (listen to WeatherBrains to hear more about what could be a disastrous situation for me!). I will have the next Weather Xtreme video up here by 3:30 this afternoon…. enjoy the day!

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About the Author ()

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.

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