Our Local West and Central Alabama Forecast... Monday Update 5pm

Good Monday afternoon! First, I advise you to keep checking our facebook and twitter. You can find our facebook feed directly to the right of this blog post. Like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. You can find my personal twitter by searching @Richard_wvua. I’ve been posting lots of updatest on there. That will be the best way to get quick information and to ask us questions.

Sandy is making landfall now as a strong category 1 hurricane. Winds are sustained at 90 mph, with gusts to 115. There was a recent wind gust reported to 117 on the peak of Mount Washington. Keep in mind, that’s a very high elevation. While a huge swath of damaging winds is occurring now across much of the northeast. Storm surge is extreme along the coastal sections, and it will get even worse as high tide is reached around 8 pm. Sandy is a huge hurricane that’s in the middle of an even larger Nor’Easter. This is a setup that’s worse than anything many people have ever seen in these areas. The worst is yet to come as the storm moves inland this evening. Flooding is already extreme and will continue for the next 24 hours. Blizzard conditions are happening across the central and southern Appalachian Mountains and will continue for the next 24 hours.

Be sure to scroll down for the an updated I posted on the blog around lunch today. Again, I’m going to keep the Sandy details short on the blog because I’ve got a running feed on twitter and facebook for lots of details.

Now… Let’s focus on our local weather. It’s been a cold and windy day today thanks to Hurricane Sandy to the northeast. The flow in Alabama is a dry flow, so skies have cleared out nicely. We will notice very cold conditions across our area, with the potential for a light freeze in areas tonight. Lows will average between 30 and 35 across west and central Alabama. Winds will stay up tonight, so don’t look for any frost to develop tonight. Winds will keep the air mixed and prevent frost from developing. There could be a spot or two with a little patchy frost, but the risk of that is low thanks to the wind.

The trough associated with Sandy will keep conditions pretty chilly through Wednesday. Highs will gradually return into the lower 60s on Tuesday and middle 60s on Wednesday. Winds will remain pretty gusty on Tuesday, with winds reaching 30 mph in gusts. Lows Tuesday night will fall into the middle to upper 30s. As winds go calm, there’s a chance of a light frost in spots; especially in the typical cooler locations.

The trough will gradually move out by mid to late week, so warmer air will gradually return just in time for the weekend. If you have plans outdoors on Halloween for Wednesday, look for ample sunshine and dry weather. Winds will be light to calm. Look for a high near 65 on Wednesday. Temperatures will reach the 50s just after sunset Wednesday evening.

Temperatures will warm into the lower 70s area-wide on Friday and Saturday. The 1st half of the weekend is looking great, with mostly sunny skies and warm days. Temperatures will remain pretty cool at night, with lows in the lower 40s through the weekend.

Send us your weather pictures! Send them to weather@wvuatv.com. Also, look us up on facebook and twitter. Like us on facebook by searching facebook.com/wvuaweather or WVUA-TV Weather. You can find us on twitter by searching weather@wvuatv.comor WVUA-TV Weather. Great way to get weather updates! Plus, facebook is a great way to send us weather pictures. Simply tag us!

Join us live on WVUA-TV weekdays at 4, 5, 6 and 10 pm and weekends at 10pm for the very latest on your news, weather and sports.

Richard Scott

WVUA Chief Meteorologist

rscott@wvuatv.com

 

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