Bill Murray: A warm and merry Christmas Day in Alabama!
ALABAMA YESTERDAY
Christmas Eve was quite warm, with highs soaring into the mid and upper 70s. Birmingham even broke a record; more on that in the Dancing with the Stats section. Cloud cover stayed to the north and south before largely clearing overnight.
Lucretia Wyatt captured the serene Christmas Eve sunset on Logan Martin last night.
ALABAMA THIS MORNING
Fog began to develop over Alabama early this Christmas morning, so Rudolph’s nose led the way as Santa delivered presents last night! A Dense Fog Advisory is in place for the southern two-thirds of Alabama until 10 a.m. centrally and 11 a.m. in the south. Hazardous driving conditions are expected. If you plan to travel this morning, exercise caution and drive slowly. Temperatures are in the low to mid 50s across much of the state, except for a few upper 40s in east-central and southeastern Alabama.
The Regions Center Skycam had a cool look over the sunrise and fog in Birmingham.
The Skywatchers are reporting Christmas morning temperatures in the 50s.
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ALABAMA 7 DAY FORECAST
Partly cloudy skies in the north and mostly sunny skies in the south will result in an anomalously warm Christmas Day. This pattern of warm temperatures and foggy mornings continues through Sunday. A strong cold front heads our way Monday, bringing winter back for the week and increasing precipitation chances.
HOT CHRISTMAS DAY
Clouds and fog will stick around into late morning today, then north Alabama will be partly cloudy, and central and south Alabama will be mostly clear. Highs will climb to the mid to upper 70s again, apart from the Gulf coast, which may stay slightly cooler. These highs will near records from past years, and if there is more sunshine than expected, a few could be broken.
ANOTHER CLOUDY AND FOGGY NIGHT
Clouds will envelop the state once again tonight, and fog will develop south. Low temperatures will fall to the mid to upper 50s north, and mid 50s farther south.
CLOUDIER FRIDAY
Skies will stay mostly cloudy throughout the day, so high temperatures may be inhibited slightly. Highs will range from the low to high 70s north to south.
SIMILAR PATTERN THIS WEEKEND
Partly to mostly cloudy skies and high temperatures in the 70s are the story Saturday and Sunday as well.
WINTER RETURNS MONDAY
A strong cold front associated with a low-pressure system to our north will travel through the state Monday. Showers are expected, although severe weather is not expected as of right now. A sharp temperature gradient is expected as colder air arrives first in northwest Alabama, bringing their highs to the 40s while southeast Alabama will still be in the 60s. Lows will fall to the 20s and 30s.
COLD TUESDAY
Tuesday will feel especially cold since this week has been so warm. Highs will barely manage the upper 30s north and 40s in central and south Alabama.
COOL END TO 2025
New Year’s Eve will be cool, with highs in the north in the upper 40s and highs in the south in the lower 50s.
HIGH TEMP RECORDS BROKEN IN ALABAMA
It was a very warm Christmas Eve, and there were two high temperature records broken to show it! Birmingham Airport hit a high of 78 degrees, which surpasses the 1964 record of 77 degrees. Shelby County Airport reached 79 degrees, breaking the record of 74 degrees set in 2016.
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO BRING RAIN, WINTRY PRECIP AND SNOW TO NORTH
Today, a low-pressure system will produce rain in parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic as well as snow in parts of the Northeast. Another system will follow and impact Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Mid-Atlantic with a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet through Saturday. Snow will fall in upper Michigan and New England Friday into Saturday, too.
RAIN IN CALIFORNIA CONTINUES
More rain is expected in California today, with Southern California under a Moderate Risk (3/4) for Excessive Rainfall today. Further north, parts of California are under a Slight Risk (2/4), and a Marginal Risk (1/4) extends to north California and into Southern Nevada and Northwest Arizona. More flash flooding and land and mudslides are expected today, especially in Southern California. Tomorrow, rain is still expected, but the risk is downgraded to Slight for Southern California, and the Marginal area is decreased greatly. Flash flooding can still occur, but Friday should be the last day of torrential rain.
NATIONAL HIGH AND LOW
The national high temperature yesterday was recorded in Canadian, Texas, at 89 degrees. Not a very Canadian temperature. International Falls, Minnesota, fell to the national low, at –8 degrees.
HAVE A BEACH CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Despite morning clouds and fog, conditions look favorable for a Christmas Day beach celebration. The high temperature is around 69 degrees today, winds are light, and water temperature is in the low 60s. The rip current risk is low, and surf height will be around 1 to 2 feet through the day.
TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY
December 25, 2010 – North Alabama’s White Christmas
On Christmas Day 2010, much of Central and North Alabama experienced their closest brush with a true white Christmas in decades as light snow fell through the morning hours. While Birmingham officially recorded only a trace — short of the one-inch requirement for a meteorological white Christmas — flurries created a festive scene across the metro and surrounding counties. Northern Alabama picked up the higher totals, with Skyline in Jackson County reporting 5.5 inches. Birmingham has never officially recorded a white Christmas, despite flurries in 1985 and lingering snowpack just before Christmas in 1929. For many across the state, the 2010 event remains one of the most memorable holiday snowfalls in recent memory.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Skywatcher Daniel Harbin sent in this picture of the beautiful Christmas sunrise in Scottsboro.
For more weather news and information from Bill Murray and the rest of the James Spann team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.