Another Chilly Night Ahead, Rain Returns Late Monday

WAKA Action 8 News,

Posted: Apr 9, 2016 3:59 PM CDT

Updated: Apr 9, 2016 10:31 PM CDT

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ON THE MAPS: A trough has dug down into the Eastern U.S. and continues to allow a parade of fronts to move south and bring colder air into the eastern half of the U.S. Snow is falling through out the Great Lakes, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and as far south as the Great Smoky Mountains. North and East of Alabama, freeze watches and warnings remain in effect as the late season cold snap has many folks teeth chattering.

ANOTHER CHILLY NIGHT: Our winds will decrease some heading into the overnight hours, but they should remain up enough, the keep the boundary layer mixed, and prevent any widespread frost issues. However, it is going to be cold tonight, with 30s and 40s for the vast majority of us. There will be the threat of patchy frost across extreme North and East Alabama by tomorrow morning, especially in those colder sheltered spots. Growers beware, and to be safe, I would cover sensitive vegetation. The forecast model output below is at 7AM, which is on the hour, and a lot of time temperatures will drop lower between hours. This is also, model output and not an official forecast, but a general idea of what to expect tomorrow morning.

WARMER SUNDAY: After the cold start, we will see temperatures rebound nicely and lower and mid-70s are expected across the viewing area. Forecast model output below for highs tomorrow looks pretty close to what we expect, but I would add two or three degrees.

We will see more clouds tomorrow as a shortwave moves across the area. It will allow for clouds to develop, but due to the lack of moisture, rain is not expected. Winds will be lighter tomorrow as well.

MONDAY: The day will start off chilly again, with most spots in the 40s. Our winds will be increasing out of the south, and that will allow temperatures to climb well into the 70s by the afternoon. Moisture will be coming north as well and that will allow for our rain chances to increase late Monday.

MONDAY NIGHT STORMS: Another shortwave will eject out of the Southwest Monday, and will cause severe weather to the west of the state. Much of the ARKLATEX has been highlighted by the SPC in the standard “slight risk” of severe weather. This system will be moving east and will bring showers and storms to Alabama overnight Monday and into Tuesday. At this time, no portion of Alabama is under a threat of severe weather, as instability values look to remain meager.

But it is that time of year, where severe weather is likely with any disturbance that moves through the Southeast. As of now, we should see some strong storms ahead of the cold front, so we will urge folks to keep that in mind as we head into Monday night. There remains a lot of uncertainty, but by tomorrow, we should begin to have a better grasp on what we can expect in Alabama. The rain and storms should continue into Tuesday, but the front will push the activity out of here by the afternoon. The models show the front stalling across the southern areas of Alabama, and depending on where the front stalls will determine what our rain chances will be next week. Temperatures for much the week will be near seasonal norms, meaning highs in the upper 70s to near 80F, and overnight lows in the 50s. Dry weather looks to settle in Friday and last through much of the following weekend. Long range temperature trends below continue to show a warming trend ahead and consistent afternoon highs in the 80s look to highlight the forecast for the rest of April.