Hard Freeze Warning Tonight
An all new edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme video is available in the player on the right sidebar of the blog. You can subscribe to the Weather Xtreme video on iTunes by clicking here.
FRIGID AIR: Temperatures at mid-afternoon are only in the upper 20s in places like Cullman, Haleyville, and Decatur. This colder air is on the move south with brisk northwest winds of 12-22 mph. The sky is partly sunny, and the low levels of the atmosphere remain very dry.
We will forecast a low early tomorrow in the 8 to 13 degree range around here; best chance of seeing a single digit low will be across the colder valleys north of Birmingham. The NWS continues a hard freeze warning, and this is the night you will want to leave a faucet or two dripping, check on elderly people that might not have a good source of heat, and bring in the critters.
Tomorrow will be sunny but cold with a high in the low to mid 30s. But, the good news is that the sun will be out in full force and the wind won’t be bad at all.
TO THE WEST: Interesting to note there is a winter storm warning for parts of Southeast Texas, including the Houston metropolitan area, but that disturbance will dampen out and not impact Alabama at all.
WEEKEND WARM-UP: The low early Saturday will be in the low 20s, but we warm into the upper 40s Saturday afternoon, and low to mid 50s Sunday. The sky will be mostly sunny both days. But, don’t get used to the “warmth”…
MORE COLD AIR NEXT WEEK: The next surge of very cold Arctic air blows in here next week. We begin to feel it Monday afternoon as temperatures fall from the 40s into the 30s, and we will struggle to climb above freezing both Tuesday and Wednesday. Looks like lows will be well down in the teens Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning next week, and parts of North Alabama could see single digit lows at daybreak Wednesday.
WINTRY PRECIPITATION LATE NEXT WEEK: The GFS is trying to come around to the ECMWF solution, showing a chance of light precipitation across Alabama on Friday, January 31. The thermal fields on the latest 12Z runs are actually a little warmer, and suggest it could be mostly rain. But, it the precipitation begins early enough, it could be in the form of light freezing rain, sleet, or maybe even some snow. We simply don’t know now… this is 8 days away and nothing more than voodoo. We will watch model trends, and have a much better idea of what will happen this weekend. No need to get worked up about it now. See the Weather Xtreme video for the maps, graphics, and details.
PEEKING INTO FEBRUARY: Still signs of a pattern flip that would bring warmer temperatures, and more frequent rain producing systems for Alabama. Again, see the video for the details.
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…
Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram
Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow….
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
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
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
