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Warm, Wet Weather Through The Weekend

| January 10, 2013 @ 3:37 pm

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TOO WARM FOR JANUARY: The average high for January 10 is 52 degrees… today we are well in the 60s, and to the south Montgomery has soared to a balmy 76 degrees. This is the big “January thaw” we have been talking about. Along with the warmth the state is covered by clouds, and we have had a few patches of rain moving northward through the area today. Some of the heaviest rain came at mid-morning at Tuscaloosa.

TO THE WEST: We are watching a batch of heavier showers and storms over East Mississippi, but those will slowly weaken with time, and we still do not expect any severe weather as they try and creep into West Alabama tonight. A tornado watch was in effect earlier for parts of South Mississippi and Louisiana, but it has expired.

ON THE MAPS: A deep, cold upper trough is setting up over the western half of the nation, while a warm ridge is over the east. There will be a huge thermal contrast in coming days across the continental U.S., and we will remain in the warm, moist air east of the front through Sunday.

Expect periods of rain, and possibly a thunderstorm or two tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, mainly over the northern half of Alabama. But, the heaviest rain should remain just northwest of our state through Saturday near the front.

HEAVIER RAIN AND TURNING COLDER: As the front gets closer, a band of heavier rain will move into North Alabama late Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday. The temperature difference will be very sharp on either side of the front, and Monday looks like a day with a high in the 40s over Northwest Alabama, with upper 70s over Southeast Alabama near Dothan. The colder air will settle in for the week, so no more 60s or 70s for North Alabama after Sunday.

There is concern the heavy rain band won’t move much Monday and Tuesday, and if it sets up around here we could be looking at potential for 2-4 inches of rain. And, with the soil now almost saturated, that could lead to some flash flooding issues. But, model agreement has not been very good about the exact placement of the heavy rain; we will watch trends in coming days.

FINALLY: Looks like our next chance at a sunny day will come late next week, Thursday, or perhaps Friday. And, we should go below freezing by Thursday morning as cold air continues to settle in over a big snow pack up north, where winter storm watches and warnings are up today from Montana over to Wisconsin.

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Category: Alabama's Weather

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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