Arctic Air, Extreme Cold Persists Through Christmas Day
Arctic air spilled into central and south Alabama Friday morning. Temperatures dropped rapidly after an arctic front pushed through our area. Montgomery’s temperatures fell from 52° at midnight to 22° at 6AM – 30° in just 6 hours. Beyond sub-freezing air temperatures, northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 30 caused wind chills to fall to near 0° in many locations.
Friday remains cold and windy. Despite a mainly sunny sky, temperatures only warm to 30° or less during the afternoon. Winds remain strong, with wind chills less than 20° throughout the day. Temperatures fall into the teens, while a breezy northwest wind continues Friday night. Wind chills fall to near 0° again through early Saturday morning.
Frigid temperatures persist through Christmas weekend. Temperatures may remain shy of freezing (32°) throughout Christmas Eve. Despite sunshine and some clouds in the mix. Temperatures fall into the teens Christmas Eve Night. Temperatures finally warm above freezing Christmas Day afternoon, peaking in the upper 30s to low 40s. However, temperatures fall into the upper teens again Christmas Day night.
Next Monday remains cold, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s. However, temperatures gradually trend warmer, with a fair amount of sunshine at least through Thursday. Afternoon temperatures reach the 60s by Thursday, if not Wednesday. A chance for rain returns Friday, but rain chances appear even higher in Alabama New Year’s weekend.
