Much Warmer Next Week… Thursday Forecast Update – 5pm

Good Thursday evening to you! Much of south and central Alabama has dealt with a nice and pleasant weather day, while areas north of I-20 shivered in cold temperatures. A cold front is slowly moving south, and has reached I-20 as of 5pm. Temperatures are falling into the 40s north of the front. The trend will continue for the rest of the evening and tonight, as the cold front moves south across our area. All of west and central Alabama will fall into the 30s late tonight and early Friday morning.

Friday will be a tricky forecasting day for our area, as the cold front backs north as a warm front and rain overspreads some residual cold air over the state. There will be a small window of opportunity for some light freezing rain north and east of Birmingham. We expect some issues between 6am and 10am in areas such as Cullman, Gadsden and Anniston. As the warm front backs north across Alabama during the midday to early afternoon, we can expect temperatures to reach the 60s after lunch. Showers will continue at times through the rest of our Friday.

A quick shot of cooler air takes over Friday night and on Saturday. Most spots will reach the middle 30s Friday night and middle 50s Saturday afternoon. Model data has consistently decreased the amount of cold air arriving on Saturday, so the forecast isn’t looking bad at all for the weekend. Highs will quickly warm back into the lower 60s on Sunday.

A ridge will build into the area on Monday and Tuesday. The ridge, along with a south wind, will really allow warmer temperatures to reach west and central Alabama. There’s a good chance we will warm into the lower 70s on Monday and Tuesday. As a cold front approaches the area late Tuesday and on Wednesday, showers and storms will arrive across west and central Alabama. Some strong to severe storms may become possible on Wednesday, so we’ll have to keep an eye on forecasting trends.

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

Huge Temperature Gradient Across Bama… Freezing Rain Risk? Thursday Update 2:45pm

Good Thursday afternoon! Check out the temperature contrast across the state… North of the cold front, temperatures are in the 40s and low 50s, while south of the cold front, temperatures are in the 60s. Tuscaloosa is just south of the front, with an air temperature of 61 degrees as of 2:45 pm. At the same time, Haleyville is reporting 46 degrees. I expected the front to move another 60 miles further south by this point, so that has kept temperatures a bit warmer than forecasted along I-20. Areas north and south of I-20 are right on target in terms of the forecast high.

The front will slide south a bit this evening and tonight, so temperatures will fall into the 30s across all of central and west Alabama after midnight.

 

Don’t forget, there will be a little freezing rain north and east of Birmingham between 6am and 10am Friday morning. Any icing issues will be short lived there, but use caution. All of west and much of central Alabama will deal with a chilly rain early in the morning.

A warm front will surge north through the day on Friday, which will send temperatures into the 60s across much of west and central Alabama tomorrow afternoon. Showers are possible at any point. A pop of cool air takes over on Saturday, but that will be short lived for sure… A nice warm-up begins late in 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

Big Temperature Contrast Today… Some Rain…Some Freezing Rain… Thursday Update – 9:30am

Good Thursday morning! Here’s the current temperature map as of 9:30am. Most spots north of I-20 are in the 40s right now. These areas will stay in the 40s, with a mostly cloudy sky. Areas between I-20 and HWY 80 are currently in the low to middle 50s. I expect temperatures to warm a could of degrees in that area between now and noon, and then begin to fall into the 40s later this afternoon. If you live south of HWY 80, temperatures will warm into the lower 60s before by noon, before falling into the 50s just before sunset and 40s after sunset.

All of west and central Alabama will deal with a mostly cloudy sky today, with the low risk of a passing shower. As the cold front stalls south of HWY 80 tonight, a disturbance will develop along the front and move our way on Friday. Moisture will move over the layer of cold air in Alabama Friday morning. There will be a small window for freezing rain north and east of Birmingham. This will affect areas such as Cullman, Gadsden and Anniston. There is a Freezing Rain Advisory for that part of north and east Alabama. Any issues should be short lived, as temperatures will quickly warm above freezing by mid to late morning in east Alabama.

As a warm front moves northward, areas south of I-20 wil reach the 60s by early afternoon. I expect areas north and east of Tuscaloosa to reach 50s for highs. Showers are likely at any point during the day on Friday.

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