…SNOW EXPECTED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL ALABAMA…
.THE PATTERN IS SETTING UP FOR A POSSIBLE SNOW STORM IN THE DEEP
SOUTH. A DEVELOPING GULF LOW WILL TRACK EASTWARD ALONG THE COAST
ON SATURDAY. WITH COLD AIR IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA SNOW
LOOKS POSSIBLE AS FAR SOUTH AS ROANOKE…CLANTON AND LIVINGSTON.
LAMAR-FAYETTE-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-
PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA-CLAY-
RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-
CHAMBERS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…SULLIGENT…VERNON…FAYETTE…JASPER…
ONEONTA…GADSDEN…ANNISTON…CENTRE…HEFLIN…CARROLLTON…
TUSCALOOSA…BIRMINGHAM…HOOVER…COLUMBIANA…PELHAM…
ALABASTER…PELL CITY…MOODY…TALLADEGA…SYLACAUGA…ASHLAND…
ROANOKE…LIVINGSTON…EUTAW…GREENSBORO…MOUNDVILLE…MARION…
CENTREVILLE…CLANTON…ROCKFORD…ALEXANDER CITY…DADEVILLE…
VALLEY…LANETT…LAFAYETTE
410 AM CST FRI JAN 18 2008
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING.
WINTRY PRECIPITATION…PREDOMINATELY SNOW…IS EXPECTED TO FALL
ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA BEGINNING SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE
SUNRISE FRIDAY NIGHT LASTING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON SATURDAY.
ACCUMULATIONS UP TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. AT THIS TIME THE
HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR ALONG OR JUST SOUTH OF
THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR BETWEEN TUSCALOOSA AND MOUNT CHEAHA.
SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 30 AND 34 DEGREES
LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY. WITH THESE EXPECTED
TEMPERATURES SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY ON
ELEVATED AND GRASSY SURFACES. ROADWAYS MAY BECOME SLICK IN
SPOTS…ESPECIALLY BRIDGES OVERPASSES AND OTHER ELEVATED ROADS.
VISIBILITY MAY BECOME LIMITED AS WELL. DRIVERS ARE URGED TO
EXERCISE CAUTION.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THIS FORECAST IT LOOKS
PROBABLE THAT SOME SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. STAY
ADVISED AS WE WILL LIKELY BE UPDATING AND OR REVISING THIS WATCH
AS THE EVENT DEVELOPS.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
WVUA TV’S Richard Scott
I live north of Colubus, MS so me and my children are excited to see a Winter Stom watch so close to our area. MS NWS is just flurries for us. I am aware the the further east and south of us the better chance for accumulating snow based on the forecast strength and track of the low. However, I know from watching these Gulf Lows track, they can develop a mind of their own. Remember the 93 March Superstorm, I was living in the MS Delta and we were suppose to have 6-8 Inches in our area. This was forecast the morning of the storm and it suddenly went due east and came up in AL giving Birmingham 16 inches. What a storm and we missed it by a couple hundred miles. Point is…things can change. This is a great weather blog/web site. Thanks for all of the info.
Hey John, I remember the blizzard of 93 very well. We had a little over a foot of snow in southwest Alabama for that event. This system for tonight bears watching! Look off towards the west. The rain is expanding over Texas this morning. The rain coming but so is the cold air. Columbus will be on the northern fringe of this system, so precip. should be very light there. Keep checking in on us. We will have new blog updates throughout the day.
Richard, Wow! A foot of snow with that storm of the century. I probably have not seen a foot combined in the last five snow events in MS.
Just checked the TX/LA radar. It looks like the moisture is getting pretty far north into ARK. I am hoping for a more northward track. Do you think this is an indication of a stronger precipitation maker and/or northerly route?
Richard,
One more question. If the Low deviates from its predicted course do you think it likely more south or north. The Weather Channel said there was an upper level feature coming in from the North that would pull the Storm out of the Gulf. I realize that it is forecast to track East/Northeast. Given that path and precip well into Ark now, I don’t unstand how the Columbus area could miss significant moisture? Thanks for considering my questions.
Looking at all of the data this afternoon, it sure looks like a northern gulf low. Each run of the data has been very consistent of that over the past 48 hours. It’s not out of the question that southern Arkansas and north Mississippi could see some light snow, but everything is pointing in the direction for a central AL and Mississippi snow event. Now for Arkansas, yeah, the radar is showing precipitation there, but most of that is not reaching the ground, simply because the air is just so dry there. I see dewpoint temperatures in the middle teens there. Something interesting to note is the light snow falling in Shreveport, Louisiana. With evaporative cooling taking place, temperatures have been falling throughout the day in those areas. I believe a very similar thing will happen here. Yes, there is some energy working around the base of the trough. So, may be there will be a few snowflakes your way. Columbus will be on the northern fringe of the precip. There will likely be returns on radar well into Tennessee, but with such dry air in place, whatever reaches the ground will be very light. Nothing like what is expected in Central Alabama and Georgia. I believe the National Weather Service is predicting a dusting for Columbus. Good luck with the snow for you!