Forecast Discussion 3/31 4:22 PM

As the final day of March 2010 comes to a close, the weather will be very nice across Alabama. In fact, temperatures will be very pleasant this evening, with a mostly clear sky. Last night was quite chilly and one of the colder spots, Centreville, reported a low of 35 degrees. Tonight won’t be quite as cold with lows in the 40s.

High pressure will keep our area dry tomorrow and on Friday. You can expect a mostly sunny sky each day, with high temperatures reaching the low to mid 80s. At night the sky will be clear, with lows remaining in the 40s. Changes will take place on Saturday as a cold front approaches. You can expect increasing clouds, with a chance for a passing shower or thunderstorm late in the day. The main upper air support with this system will pass well north of our area and the front will loose some of its punch as it moves east. We may wake-up to some clouds and a lingering shower early on Easter; however, sunshine will return by the afternoon.

Temperatures will remain quite pleasant on Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Another front will enter the state late next Tuesday and on Wednesday. This will bring us another chance for a shower or thunderstorm, with additional clouds.

I want to send out a big congrats to the University of Alabama. Yesterday the Capstone officially became a designated Storm Ready Institution. Have a great evening!

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Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist

Full Moon Tonight

I thought I would share this latest snapshot from our live Tower Camera.

Wes

Tuesday Afternoon Forecast Discussion – 4:35 PM

Good afternoon! As day two in our stretch of nice spring weather comes to a close, we will have more sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Tonight we will have a clear sky, with a full moon lifting above the horizon around 9:30 p.m. The winds will be light, with lows in the middle 30s. Speaking of overnight cold, last night Hamilton dropped to 31 degrees and Livingston dropped to 37. A strong 1020 MB surface high is located over the northern Gulf and this broad ridge will keep our area dry through at-least Friday. We will have lots of sunshine for tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. Highs will be near 80 degrees in most areas, with lows at night in the 40s.

A low pressure system and cold front will swing into the region late on Saturday bringing another threat for rain and thunderstorms. I can’t totally rule out a strong thunderstorm on Saturday. This system should clear West Alabama by Easter; however, eastern sections of the state will have a chance for a thunderstorm early on Sunday. Increasing instability and moisture on Monday and Tuesday will bring partly cloudy conditions. We will also have a chance for a passing shower or thunderstorm. Temperatures will remain warm during the day, with highs near 80 degrees. Stay tuned!

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Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist

Forecast Discussion 3/29 3:18 PM

Good afternoon! It was nice to have a bright sky out there today, although it was quite windy at times. The northerly breeze should settle down tonight, with temperatures falling into the 30s. There may be some frosty rooftops as we start the day tomorrow. Look for a big recovery however, with highs reaching the lower 70s.

The forecast through Friday looks great! High pressure centered to our southwest will become centered over Tennessee later this week. This dominating ridge will keep our sky sunny, with afternoon highs steadily warming. On Wednesday we will get our first taste of widespread 80s across Alabama! In fact, we will top out in the middle 80s on Thursday and Friday.

Weather conditions will go downhill quickly over the weekend as a low pressure system and associated cold front move into the region. We will have a partly cloudy sky on Saturday, with breezy conditions. Rain and thunderstorms will be possible late Saturday night and early on Easter. This activity may come in the form of a line of rain and storms that will sweep across the area. At this time I can’t rule out the possibility of strong to severe thunderstorms with this particular system. We will certainly keep a close eye on the setup and keep you posted as we prepare for the big Easter Weekend. Have a great evening!

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Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist

Sunday Afternoon Weather Update – 1:11PM

A good Sunday afternoon to you! Temperatures have warmed up nicely this morning and early afternoon, with many of us getting well into the 60s. After some morning storms and clouds, sunshine made a return, but some upper-air energy is moving in now, so we’ll see clouds fill back in. Mostly cloudy skies are likely for the rest of the day and the start to our Monday. A chilly west wind will make it feel colder, but that wind switches around to the northwest tonight and on Monday. Temperatures struggle to get out of the 50s for much of the day on Monday. Once the sun returns Monday afternoon, temperatures will quickly rise into the middle 60s.

Warm weather returns for the rest of the week. Lows at night continue cold, with many of us getting down into the upper 30s. A quick warm-up happens Tuesday afternoon, with highs close to 70. Sunny skies continue for the rest of the week, with highs warming into the upper 70s on Wednesday and lower 80s on Thursday through the weekend. As a big summer-like ridge moves in late in the week, we’ll experience some very warm temperatures. The good news is that the ridge will keep us sunny and dry through Sunday. Be sure to tune in tonight for more on your weather on WVUA-TV news at 10 PM.

Have a great day!

Richard Scott

Sunday Morning Weather Update – 9:53am

We’re watching a few storms work across the state this morning, as a cold front works in from the west. Cooler conditions will move in this evening and tonight, with lows down in the 40s tonight. So far, there isn’t anything severe across our coverage area, but some ingredients are coming together over east Alabama for a strong storm or two this afternoon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tornado warning or two east of I-65 this afternoon, as the atmosphere gets a little more unstable. For areas west of I-65, a cold front is currently bringing a brisk west wind. Also, with drier conditions moving in from the west, the sun will likely return for a while over west Alabama later this morning and into the early afternoon hours. No severe weather is expected for areas along and west of I-65 today.

The band of storms is less than 10 miles across, so it won’t last long. Expect a quick burst of rain and breezy winds. A few rumbles of thunder are possible as well. A full discussion will be posted on the site a little later this afternoon with much more. If you like warm weather, you’ll like the forecast. Sure looks like temperatures will approach 80 degrees later in the week.

WVUA-TV’s Richard Scott

Saturday Evening Weather Update – 8:45 PM

A good Saturday to you! We dealt with a perfect spring day across all of central Alabama, with sunny skies and warm temperatures. The only fly in the ointment was the windy conditions. Windy weather continues in the forecast through tomorrow. Our weather will be changing quickly over the next 10 to 15 hours, as a vigorous area of low pressure brings us a round of showers and storms late tonight and early tomorrow. Numerous severe storms exist along a line of storms in eastern Arkansas. This line looks to make it into northwest Alabama close to daybreak. Once this line moves through, we’ll deal with a cooler west wind for the rest of Sunday.

As for severe weather chances around here, we’ll deal with a few storms becoming strong late tonight and early tomorrow. Due to the lack of instability, the severe weather threat looks pretty low at this time. We’ll keep an eye to the weather incase a storm or two gets out of hand. As the sun comes up tomorrow and the surface begins to heat up, a few severe storms could develop in east Alabama. Severe weather chances in west Alabama looks very low due to the earlier arrival of the cold front. This will bring stable air into the state. The cold front will clear east Alabama around sunset. There could even be a tornado or two east of I-65 tomorrow afternoon. We’ll deal with a breezy west wind tomorrow afternoon, which will be very similar to our weather back on Thursday.

A return to some sun is likely Sunday afternoon over west Alabama. More clouds move in on Monday, and temperatures remain rather cool. Highs will top out in the lower 60s with a chilly breeze. Sun returns Monday afternoon. Much warmer weather is in the forecast of the rest of the week, with temperatures approaching 70 Tuesday afternoon and low 80s for Thursday through Saturday. Lots of sun can be expected for the rest of the week, but another storm system looks to approach by late in the weekend. Be sure to join me for more weather on WVUA-TV news at 10.

Have a great day!

Richard Scott

Forecast Discussion 2/26 3:41 PM

I want to thank the faculty and students at Carrollton’s Pre-K School for inviting me to speak today. As I was making the drive around noon, along highway 86, the clouds started breaking. We will remain cloud free through tonight and this will set the stage for some cold temperatures. I’m forecasting lows in the middle to upper 30s for most areas and there may be some patchy frost in some communities north of Tuscaloosa. The good news is that the sun will return tomorrow, with highs in the low 70s.

Moisture will begin lifting into the region tomorrow night in response to an approaching low pressure system. Clouds will increase tomorrow night, with rain and thunderstorms late. The chance for rain and thunderstorms will linger into the day Sunday, with highs in the 60s. Some of the storms may be on the strong side; however, the threat for rain and storms should end by Sunday night, with more low clouds settling in. This will make for a cloudy start on Monday, with lows in the 40s.

Sunshine will return by Monday afternoon and this will mark the start of several days of dry weather. We will have a bright sky on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a slow but steady warm-up. By Friday we will have a mix of clouds and sun, with highs near 80 degrees. Long range data is hinting that we will have a storm system impacting our area next weekend and this system may linger into Easter Sunday. Have a great weekend!

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Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist

Two Tornadoes Found Yesterday in Central Alabama…

Yesterday, isolated but intense thunderstorms developed in the afternoon hours and persisted into the evening hours across parts of north and central Alabama. Two of these storms produced tornadoes, one in Shelby County and the other in Chilton County. The National Weather Service in Birmingham determined that both tornadoes were EF-1’s, containing winds of 90 and 95 mph, respectively. The link to the entire National Weather Service statement can be found here.

Isaac Williams
WVUA-Weather

Forecast Discussion 3/25 3:45 PM

I’ve lived in this area all my life and it still amazes me to sometimes see how quickly the weather can change. Just yesterday we had bright conditions, with highs in the 70s. Then by midnight a batch of rain and storms moved into West Alabama. The good thing is that the early morning activity helped to limit the amount of instability. We still have a threat for strong thunderstorms over the area. Currently a severe thunderstorm watch is in place for Pickens, Bibb, Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Marion, Jefferson, Shelby, Walker, Lamar, and Blount counties in our area through 7:00 p.m. The wet weather will depart the region later tonight, with lingering clouds and lows in the 40s. Tomorrow morning the clouds will give way to sunshine, with highs reaching the 60s. It is going to be much cooler tomorrow night, with some areas experiencing lows near 39 degrees.

Fast changes are common during this time of the year and you can expect similar conditions over the next few days. Saturday will start off nice and sunny, with highs reaching the 70s. However, Saturday night clouds will increase as another low pressure system and front approach. Rain and thunderstorms will be possible by midnight and this activity will linger into the mid to late morning hours on Sunday. The clouds should start breaking by Sunday evening, with mostly sunny weather for the start of next week. It looks like we will experience quite a warm-up next week, with highs nearing 80 degrees by next Thursday. The good news is that we should enjoy about a 4 to 5 day stretch of dry weather next week. We will be keeping an eye on the thunderstorm activity this evening and we will have updates first at four, and at five, six, and ten!

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Wes Wyatt
Chief Meteorologist