Noon Update: Record Warmth Today
We will have a partly to a mostly sunny sky this afternoon, and any showers are few and far between. Temperatures today should reach the lower 80s in most locations, with record highs in some spots, including Montgomery. Our record highs for today is 80° set back in 2011, we are forecasting 83° for the Capital City today.
ACROSS THE USA: A slow-moving front will bring multiple waves of heavy rain across a swath of the central and southern U.S., from Texas up to Michigan on Tuesday and into Wednesday. Parts of the ArkLaTex region could see 5 to 7 inches of rain on Wednesday. Freezing rain will also be possible in the Upper Midwest over next couple days, with snow in the Northern Plains and Upper Great Lakes on Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: An approaching front will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms to portions of Alabama by Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, but no risk of severe storms despite the warmth. Showers and storms remain possible Thursday as the front stalls out near the Tennessee border. That front will then move northward Thursday night, and Friday looks warm with only isolated showers. Highs will remain well up in the 70s and lower 80s as the warm late winter pattern continues.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Another warm day is ahead on Saturday; the high will be close to 80° with a mix of sun and clouds. Showers should be pretty widely separated. Then, the chance of rain will rise Sunday with another front; this one will have little more southward push, and highs should drop back into the 70s with occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm. This weekend we are going to have to watch carefully as strong to severe storms will be possible and the SPC has areas west of Alabama highlighted in a risk for storms on Saturday, and this area could be expanded into Alabama late Saturday or Sunday.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: Looks like we will see highs mostly in the lower 70s next week, getting closer to seasonal averages. Still no sign of any freezing temperatures for the next 10 days, but global model output suggests potential for cold shots in March, which of course brings up the idea of strong to severe storms at times. That, of course, is to be expected since March does kick off the spring tornado season in Alabama.
Have a great day!
Ryan
