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Snow For Extreme North Alabama Tomorrow Night

| March 20, 2013 @ 6:04 am

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MUST BE MARCH IN ALABAMA: Long time Alabamians know anything goes this time of the year; this week we go from a severe weather event Monday to a freeze, and some snow before the week is over.

Today will be dry; we have some clouds this morning, but those should move out by midday, and the afternoon should be mostly sunny with a high in the low 60s.

FREEZE EARLY TOMORROW: We will begin the day in the 25-30 degree range for most places; NWS has issued a freeze warning (they do this late in the season for growers). It sure won’t feel like spring; the high tomorrow will only be in the low to mid 50s… almost 15 degrees below average for late March in Alabama.

SNOW/SLEET TOMORROW NIGHT? Confidence is actually pretty high in wintry precipitation over far North Alabama. Evaporative cooling should bring a favorable environment for snow over the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama. The best chance of accumulating snow will be generally north of the Tennessee River; a dusting to one inch is possible mostly on grassy areas. Our friends up in Florence, Athens, Huntsville, and Scottsboro will have to watch for some slick spots on roads and bridges late tomorrow night and into early Friday morning, but temperatures should be generally in the mid 30s as the snow falls.

Down this way, precipitation will begin through a very dry low level column… and some sleet (ice pellets) are very possible as far south as Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Anniston (I-20). Sleet rarely causes driving issues, and temperatures should be above freezing, so I don’t expect any problems around here.

But, we all know late season winter systems can bring some surprises, so we will watch data closely as it gets closer.

FRIDAY: The day will be cold and wet, with periods of light rain. I seriously doubt if we can get out of the 40s with clouds and rain at times. It won’t rain all day, and rain amounts should rather light.

SATURDAY SOAKER: Unfortunately the weekend should begin with a very wet day. Rain is likely Saturday; the rain should be pretty widespread with amounts of one half to one inch likely. And, it could very well rain much of the day as a warm front slowly moves northward from the Gulf of Mexico. We should remain north of the warm front, so for now no severe weather is expected, but some elevated thunder is certainly possible.

If by chance the warm front gets north of here, strong storms are possible, but at this point that doesn’t look likely.

SUNDAY: This day remains a mystery; a dry slot in the mid levels will work into Alabama, and no doubt a pretty good part of the day will be dry with some sunshine. We should warm up into the mid 70s… which could open the door for some scattered afternoon storms. While the GFS is dry, a storm or two could very well form on a surface front, and if they do form, they could be pretty strong since the air will be unstable. We will continue to mention the risk of a storm in the afternoon, but if the models continue the dry look we will begin to phase that risk out of the forecast.

NEXT WEEK: The pattern looks generally cold and dry. I expect to see freezing temperatures on multiple mornings, and we will have a very hard time getting out of the 50s for most days.

AT THE BEACH: Dry weather is the story on the coast today and tomorrow, but showers and a few storms are possible Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Highs along the immediate coast will be in the 60s due to the influence of the cool ocean water; sea surface temperatures are mostly in the 60-65 degree range along the coast from Panama City west to Gulf Shores. Most of next week looks dry, but cool.

WEATHER RADIO HELP: We will be at the Publix in Chelsea tomorrow evening from 3:30 until 6:30… if you need help with a weather radio, have questions, or need to buy one, then come see us. Every Alabama home and business needs one; Monday’s severe weather event was a great reminder of that.

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. Scroll down for the show notes on this week’s episode with Chuck Doswell.

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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon…. enjoy the day….

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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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