Nice and Warm Weekend Ahead… Some Storms Next Week… Thursday Forecast Update – 4:45pm

Good Thursday afternoon to you! After a cold start to the day, temperatures made a nice warming trend this afternoon. Most spots warmed into the lower or middle 60s for highs today. The upper air trough is moving out, and ridging is moving in from the west. This is allowing for a warming trend to take over the southeast. Also, a developing south wind on the west side of a surface high will warm conditions in our area. A south wind will not only warm the air temperature, it will also increase low level moisture.

It won’t get as cold tonight, but conditions will get fairly chilly late. Look for lows to reach the upper 30s late tonight. There could be some scattered fog in spots, so use caution when traveling tonight or early tomorrow morning. As a south wind takes over on Friday, warm and moist air advection will allow a few clouds to develop. Skies will become partly sunny at times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I don’t expect any rain through the weekend and start off next week.

There area lots of big events happening in west Alabama this weekend and early next week. First, Christmas on the River in Demopolis started lastnight. There are no weather issues expected through Sunday… the day the event ends. Highs will reach the upper 60s on Friday and lower to middle 70s for the weekend in Demopolis. Lows will fall into the 40s or 50s at night. A light jacket will be needed at night through the weekend. There is no risk of rain today through Sunday.

The West Alabama Christmas Parade kicks off Monday evening in Tuscaloosa. If you’re going to the big parade, look for dry and comfortable conditions. Temperatures will fall into the 60s after sunset or around parade time.

A fast moving upper air trough will move into the upper midwest on Monday and Tuesday. The trough will send a cold front into Alabama sometime Tuesday evening or Tuesday night. A band of showers and storms will likely develop ahead of this front and move into Alabama late Tuesday. A few showers will remain possible into Wednesday morning, but it looks like the rain will move out fast. Computer models have warmed the temperatures a tad behind the front, so I’ve bumped up our afternoon highs on Wednesday and Thursday. Highs will top out in the lower 60s on Wednesday and middle 60s on Thursday.

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Richard Scott

WVUA Chief Meteorologist

rscott@wvuatv.com