Weather Summary For March

March certainly started out with a bang, with a severe weather outbreak on the very first day of the month. There were numerous tornado reports on that day, and a great deal of damage, especially in Millers Ferry and Enterprise, AL. The final tornado count coming from the National Weather Service reports 9 tornadoes touched down that day. After the severe weather then, the weather took a major swing towards being warm and calm. The temperatures really began to warm as we headed further into the month, with highs in the 70s and 80s. As of now, we are nearly 11 inches below normal in rainfall totals for the year and 5 inches below average for the month of March. We have not had a big rain event since the storms came through on the first day of March. In fact, we’ve only had 1.16 inches of rain so far for the month, so we defiantly need some rainfall across the area. Birmingham may actually have the third driest March on record. Be sure to check out the latest episode of Weather Flash; Mike Hill will have an updated rainfall deficit for you.

Richard Scott and Mike Hill

Friday Afternoon Forecast Discussion Update

As this very dry March of 2007 comes to a close, rain chances will finally creep back into the forecast. This weekend one of the best rain opportunities in over a week will be in place across the state. First off, a wedge of cooler air has moved into northeast Alabama and this backdoor front has made it into parts of the area. This will bring a comfortable east-southeast breeze today, with highs in the low 80s. The change is very noticeable over eastern Alabama and right now while Tuscaloosa is at 67-degrees, places like Gadsden are still in the middle 50s. We will remain dry today and tonight, with patchy cloud cover overhead.

Tomorrow will be a partly to mostly cloudy day and as temperatures warm, a stray shower or thunderstorm may develop. We will have a cold front dropping into the area late tomorrow night and this will bring us a good chance of rain on Sunday. The front will stall across the area and we will also have the threat of thunderstorms, which may be strong. Highs on Sunday will be in the 70s.

The stationary front will linger nearby on Monday and as temperatures warm, scattered showers and thunderstorms will redevelop. Upper level energy tracking across the country will help develop an area of low pressure that will pull along the front and bring us another good chance of rain late Tuesday and into the day on Wednesday.

Overall, the news is looking better and the data continues to hint that many spots will see up an inch of rain on Sunday. April will be bringing a welcomed shift in the pattern, with more rain possible next week. In fact, a cold front around Easter Weekend could bring showers and colder air to the region. Be sure to join us tonight at five, six, and ten for more details! (Graphic: HPC Forecast Rain Totals Days 1-3).

Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist WVUA-TV

Thursday Afternoon Forecast Discussion Update

It looks like we’re setting records across the state again today. Check out some of the current records for some select cities in Alabama: Tuscaloosa 86 set in 1967, Birmingham 85 set in 1928, Montgomery 86 set in 1895, and Anniston 85 set in 1963. In addition, it remains quite dry and if we don’t see any rain by Saturday we’re looking at this being the third driest March on record. A persistent upper level ridge will dominate through tomorrow and this will mean very warm and dry weather conditions.

Today we will have partly sunny skies, with highs near 86-degrees. It will remain fair tonight with another partly sunny day tomorrow. A cold front now moving across the plains will arrive on Sunday. This same front and associated storm system sparked a tornado outbreak over the nations heartland last night. Don’t miss our news tonight, as we will have amazing video of some of the twisters to show you. We will have isolated thunderstorms possible as early as Saturday night, with a good chance for a shower or thunderstorm on Sunday. Highs will be near 80-degrees, with daytime readings early next week. The cold front will become stationary along the highway 80-corridor by Monday and this will help spark scattered showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday of next week.

Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist WVUA-TV

Late Night Update

While walking to my truck this evening, I could notice the planet Venus on the horizon. According to Dr. Albritton, an instructor at Shelton State Community College, the object that appears to be a bright star on the western horizon is actually the planet Venus. So, if you are out and about tomorrow evening, around sunset, look towards the west and you will likely see the bright planet of Venus on the horizon.

Richard Scott

The weather is quite active over parts of the Great Plains tonight. At the time of this posting five tornado watches were in place and there were six tornado warnings. These advisories stretched from Nebraska south to Texas. According to local media reports, tornado sightings have taken place all evening.

Here at home the weather remains quiet and temperatures are currently in the middle 60s. Some patchy fog or low clouds may be around early tomorrow, followed by partial sunshine. Be sure to check our main page at 6:00 a.m. for a fresh weather forecast discussion.

Wes

Wednesday Afternoon Forecast Discussion Update

We started off the day, with some low clouds and patchy morning fog. Dense fog advisories were actually issued for southwest Alabama counties. After taking a long-look at the morning model guidance, the news is looking much better. It appears a shift in the pattern will try to happen over the weekend and this will bring us better rain opportunities in the days ahead. First off, an upper air storm will lift into the Ohio Valley today and the tail end of this system could help trigger a shower or thunderstorm across the area today. Unfortunately, the chance for rain will remain extremely small and many spots will remain dry. Temperatures today will be topping out in the lower 80s.Tomorrow we will have a return to dry and very warm conditions. Highs for tomorrow and Friday will be in the middle 80s, with lows at night in the middle 50s. Another upper air storm swinging across the nations heartland will send a cold front into the state over the weekend. The front will bring us a good chance for a passing shower or thunderstorm for late Saturday and on Sunday. The upper flow will become more westerly to southwesterly, which will cause the front to stall. As a result, we will continue to have the chance for a shower or thunderstorm for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. Be sure to join us tonight at five, six, and ten for more details!

Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist WVUA-TV

Tuesday Afternoon Forecast Update

Despite an increase in clouds, temperatures still managed to make another big recovery today. Highs were in the mid 80s, with a mix of clouds and sunshine. The radar has become rather active today, as a broken line of showers and thunderstorms have developed along the interstate-55 corridor over Mississippi. This activity is in response to an upper air storm spinning into Arkansas. This feature will weaken high pressure over our area slightly and this could allow a shower or thunderstorm to develop overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm will also be possible tomorrow, especially in areas north of Tuscaloosa.

High pressure will gain strength again on Thursday and this will bring us more very warm temperatures and dry conditions. Highs will be reaching the middle 80s for both Thursday and Friday, with a mixture of clouds and sun. We will also have very mild evenings, with a slow fall in temperatures. Lows will be in the middle 50s.

Another upper air storm system will send a cold front our way on Saturday and this will bring us a passing shower or thunderstorm. The front will be weakening, but there will be enough energy for a brief shower or thunderstorm Saturday night and on Sunday. Look for dry conditions to return on Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s.

Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist WVUA-TV

Monday’s Afternoon Weather Discussion

Temperatures are warming up quickly and it looks like we will easily top out in the middle 80s today. One again, temperatures will approach record levels. Check out some of the following threatened-record highs for select cities: Tuscaloosa 87, 2005; Birmingham 86 1929, Montgomery 87 1936; Anniston 85 2005.

High pressure over the area will be forced to weaken slightly as an upper air disturbance lifts out of Mexico and into Texas today. This will send a lot of clouds in our direction over the next 12-48 hours. Unfortunately, these clouds will not be producing rain. Some folks over northeast Alabama may be lucky enough to see a few showers as cooler air wedges into the northeast corner of the state. Otherwise for us, today will be partly sunny. Tonight the low will be in the mid 50s, with partly cloudy skies. Things won’t change much tomorrow, but as the upper air storm continues northward there may be enough energy for a shower north of Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. This would mainly be for extreme northern sections of the state; however, a shower can’t be ruled out as far south as Hamilton.

Look for another dry day on Thursday, with highs back in the 80s. The news gets a little better on Friday as a cold front, with better upper air support, drops into the region. This could bring us some beneficial rain late Friday and into the day on Saturday. The system will move out by Sunday and then cooler air will follow. Lows Sunday night will be in the 40s. The long-range data is hinting at a sharper cold front around the April 5th time frame. Hopefully, that system will also bring us needed rainfall. Busy days ahead…I’m going to be filling in for Robert this week. Be sure to tune in for complete weather details!
.

Wes Wyatt

Mostly Sunny and Still Warm….

Well, at least for those of you have swimming pools they finally got some use this weekend.  Temperatures hit a record high this afternoon of 86 degrees!  This beat out the old record of 83 set back in 1991.  As for rain, we are still in a bit of a drought and we are hoping to see some relief on Tuesday and by the end of the week.  We will see a 20% chance of rain Tuesday afternoon as a weak frontal boundary attempts to enter the area.  By Friday, a strong cold front will be pushing through and this will be our best chance for relief.  Rain chances will be up to around  30-40% and our highs will be back into the mid to lower 70s.   Have a great night!

Updated by:  Michael White

More Thoughts On The Severe Storms Symposium

Today is the last day of the Severe Storms Symposium, and the emphasis is on Operational Meteorology. Yesterday, I learned so much about helping with pressure of being both on air and off. We had Dr. Amy Stapleton, who is a Psychologist at Mississippi State University, speak with us. She showed us how to control pressure, especially when something goes wrong. James Spann, who is Chief Meteorologist at ABC3340 in Birmingham, told us some unique steps to help get prepared for severe weather coverage. Some of the steps were getting the entire team informed on what may happen; that is a crucial step because severe weather coverage is a lot better when the meteorologist and the news team are working together to get information out to the public. The show yesterday was a good learning experience for me, and I hope to return next year for another program.

Richard Scott

Severe Storms Symposium This Weekend

This weekend I will be in Tuscaloosa gearing up for the big UCP telethon. Other members of our weather team Michael White, Michael Hill, and Richard Scott are in Starkville, MS attending the Mississippi State Severe Storm Symposium. I’m looking forward to hearing reports form the event as it highlights severe weather events over the past year across the area. Richard Scott has filed the first report and it’s included below. Also, weather-wise it sure feels nice this evening. Temperatures are in the 60s under fair skies. The forecast looks good and I will have a fresh discussion posted by 6:00 a.m.

WesSevere Storms Symposium Update

I just got back from Starkville, Mississippi this afternoon. I was at the 6th Annual Southeast Severe Storms Symposium at Mississippi State University. It is an educational program that was developed to help Broadcasting or Operational Meteorologist learn more about the science, stay up-to-date, and learn about past weather events. The program started at 9:30 a.m. this morning and lasted until about 4 p.m. Several guest speakers came into town to talk to the students and give helpful advice about Meteorology. Today’s guest speakers were Leigh Brock, Bernie Rayno, Barbie Bassett, Russ Geller, James Spann, Dr. Amy Stapleton, and Jonathan L. Howell. I spoke with Josh Johnson, who is the former Chief Meteorologist for WTOK in Meridian; Josh worked weekends when Wes was Chief Meteorologist in Meridian.

It was good to have the opportunity to spend the day on the campus, talking with professors and meteorologists, while learning more about Broadcast Meteorology. Tomorrow is the last day for the program; it begins at 8:20 a.m. and last until 4:40 p.m. Tomorrow’s show is concentrated more on Operational Meteorologist, but if your interested in becoming a meteorologist, be sure to go to the Mississippi State Campus tomorrow; it cost $30 to get in and you don’t have to register early; it is held in the WIFE Center, which is on the western side of campus.

Richard Scott