Winter Weather Mischief Friday
Our Thursday will be a cloudy and cold day with periods of rain. Also like Wednesday, most of the wet weather will be over the southern half of Alabama. Highs hover in the lower 40s all day again.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY: For folks in Central Alabama, generally along and south of Interstate 20 and north of the U.S. 80 and Interstate 85 corridor, there could be some weather excitement as we end the work week. With cold air at the surface, and the continued overrunning pattern in place, we are going to have to mention the chance for some snow across in these areas of state, Friday morning and into the afternoon as well. Temperatures look to only be in the upper 30s Friday for highs, and with the precipitation shield sliding back to the north some, model data output shows snow mixing in with the rain for some of these areas. Once again, the best chance of seeing snow will be generally in locations between Birmingham and Montgomery. In these areas the rain/snow mix will possibly be intense enough to allow for possible accumulations on grassy surfaces during the day. Whatever falls will not amount to much as temperatures will remain above freezing and warm soil temperatures will limit accumulations. Localized 0.1″ to 0.25″ accumulations will be possible, while amounts of up to 1″ are possible in the higher elevations in Eastern Alabama, mainly over parts of Clay, Randolph, Chambers, and Tallapoosa Counties, where the air will be colder. This is certainly to cause some excitement in these areas Friday, but the overall impact will be very limited. Of course a lot to watch between now and then, and things can and will change, so be sure to stay up with current updates, especially if you are in Central Alabama.
DRY, COLD ALABAMA WEEKEND: By the time we head into the weekend, most of us will be ready to see some sun, after this cloudy, dreary forecast. Heading into Friday night, drier air should work in behind another cold front crossing the area and we are forecasting a clearing sky and cold temperatures for both Saturday and Sunday. For most of Central Alabama, expect dry and mainly sunny days and fair, but cold nights. Highs are forecast to be in the upper 40s and lower 50s, while lows will be in the 20s.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: No change with the a trough remaining in place over the eastern third of the nation, and the overall pattern looks dry with below average temperatures for next week. We are going to see temperatures moderate some early in the week, but our next cold front looks to bring our next shot of much colder air into the state by midweek.
Have a great day!
