Trending Milder, Then Rain Returns Wednesday Night
Tuesday morning was frigid with morning lows ranging from the mid to upper 20s. Heavy frost and freezing fog formed prior to sunrise. However, sunshine was abundant through midday with temperatures recovering into the low 50s. Some clouds stream across Alabama Tuesday afternoon. However, these appear to be mainly high clouds, and plenty of sunshine remains in the mix. Afternoon temperatures peak in the mid to upper 50s.
A couple locations could touch 60°. Tuesday night looks partly cloudy and not as cold. Lows only fall into the mid and upper 30s. Southwest Alabama may not even get that cold. Some locations may also see temperatures rise prior to sunrise Wednesday. Winds turn to the southeast, resulting in high temperatures in the 60s. The sky remains partly cloudy on average Wednesday. Most of the day looks dry. However, rain could arrive in west central Alabama during the late evening. Rain becomes much more likely for the rest of our area Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
A few rumbles of thunder may accompany Wednesday night’s rain. The storm prediction center continues to monitor the potential for strong to severe storms Wednesday. However, just like Monday, the risk area remains across Louisiana and Mississippi to our west. Plus, even for those areas, it’s only a marginal risk. The timing of the cold front helps us out Wednesday. The potential for severe storms exits immediately in advance of the front. However, the front won’t arrive in Alabama until the late evening. By that time, instability should be very low.
While the cold front pushes to our southeast Thursday morning, rain continues behind the front, at least through midday. Temperatures steady fall during the day. While rain could taper off during the afternoon, the sky likely remains overcast. The wind may be elevated as well, resulting in afternoon wind chills in the 30s if not 20s for some. Thursday night lows hold near freezing.
There’s a chance for more rain Friday in the wake of the cold front. Temperatures likely warm into the 40s to around 50° Friday, so far above freezing. The next wave of rain arrives Friday evening and overnight into Saturday morning. It looks like the best chance for rain remains in the southwest corner of the state. So maybe not all of us see rain Friday.
The setup for Friday night and Saturday morning has some intrigue. Temperatures fall to near freezing Friday night, and there may still be some rain falling at least in the southeast corner of Alabama at that time. Models hint there could be a changeover to freezing rain. However, winter weather potential seems much higher near and north of Interstate 20 across parts of Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
It looks like mostly a cold rain for us, with very limited impacts because temperatures into at least the 40s on Saturday. It looks like lingering rain from late Friday departs Alabama Saturday morning. From there, the rest of the weekend looks dry with sunshine and clouds mixed. Temperatures warm into the 50s Sunday afternoon. Saturday and Sunday night lows fall to near or below freezing (32°).
The start of next week looks mainly dry. However, models now hint that next Tuesday could feature some rain, based on the formation and track of another gulf low. Otherwise, next Monday and Tuesday look partly cloudy with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.
