Clouds Streaming In
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THIS AFTERNOON: The sky has changed from the deep blue we enjoyed this morning, to a milky white this afternoon thanks to a layer of cirrus clouds up in the 20,000 to 25,000 foot range. These are not rain producing clouds, but the saying goes… “cirrus near us, stratus coming at us”. Clouds should be thicker and lower late tonight, and the stage is set for rain at times over the weekend.
TOMORROW: I don’t think it rains all day, but the rain will generally increase from west to east during the day. Again, with this setup it is just about impossible to give rain start and stop times for specific places, but the best chance of rain during the morning will generally be over West Alabama, then slowing moving east during the day. There could be some thunder involved, but severe weather is very unlikely with a broad surface low to the south.
SUNDAY: This should be the day with the most widespread coverage of rain and storms. Still, there will be breaks in the rain during the day, but beneficial rain is likely statewide. Like Saturday, severe weather is not expected, although some thunder is certainly possible.
The 12Z NAM is printing 1.20″ of rain for Birmingham… while the GFS is wetter with 1.79″, and probably closer to the truth. Some spots could see over two inches of rain over the weekend where heavier downpours develop.
NEXT WEEK: The 12Z runs of the GFS and the ECMWF are drier for next week. We will still need to mention a chance of lingering showers Monday, but all of a sudden the models bring dry air into Alabama Tuesday through Friday. With the RPM also on board, we will lean in this direction in the forecast as the upper weakness moves east of Alabama. Temperatures next week should be pretty close to average values for mid-May in Alabama, with highs in the low 80s each day. See the Weather Xtreme video for details on long range ideas and all of the graphics that go with this discussion.
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I had a great time today visiting with the kids at West Blocton Elementary School in Bibb County… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM on ABC 33/40 News at 5:00 today! I am about to head out to the Buck Creek Festival in Helena where I will be live at 4, 5, and 6:00… my pal Brian Peters will be there with me. Brian will have the video updates tomorrow and Sunday… my next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here by 7:00 a.m. Monday. Enjoy the weekend!
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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