Drew McCombs: Wintry mix to the north in Alabama; showers south
ALABAMA YESTERDAY
A few showers brought light rain accumulation to the southeast yesterday, while the rest of the state stayed dry and cloudy. Highs climbed into the upper 40s to mid 50s across north and central Alabama, while the south sat in the upper 50s and low 60s.
ALABAMA THIS MORNING
Precipitation began in the northwest corner of the state past midnight and has slowly moved eastward through this morning. Reports of sleet have come in from our Skywatchers in Trenton and New Market, while rain falls further south near Birmingham. Temperatures sit in the upper 20s in the northwest, the mid to upper 30s from Gadsden to Chatom, and the upper 40s to low 50s from the coast to Eufaula. Clouds stretch across the state.
The Skywatchers are reporting temperatures in the 20s and 30s, with some reporting sleet and rain!
ALABAMA 7 DAY FORECAST
Wintry precipitation and rain will fall in the north today, while central Alabama will see mostly rain, and the south will stay mostly dry. Tomorrow, more wintry mix/rain will fall in the north, while central and south Alabama will see more rain and the low chance for severe storms. Frigid temperatures begin to settle in Sunday night and continue through Tuesday. Wednesday may feel slightly warmer, then a dry cold front brings temperatures back down Thursday. Friday will be dry and cold.
WINTER STORM ARRIVES TODAY
North Alabama: Today, precipitation will go back and forth between a wintry mix and rain. The better chances for wintry precipitation and therefore ice accumulation are in the northwest corner. For the rest of the north, wintry precipitation may fall this morning before shifting to only rain through most of the day as temperatures are able to warm above freezing. As of right now, temperatures seem to increase enough overnight to keep even the northwest to only rain. This will hopefully encourage the ice that accumulated during the day to melt. Highs will range from the mid 30s in the west to the low to mid 40s in the east. Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties are under an Ince Storm Warning until tomorrow at 6 p.m. (dark purple), in which they could expect less than a tenth of an inch of snow/sleet accumulation and one tenth to one half an inch, with locally higher amounts of one inch possible. Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Marshall, Jackson, DeKalb, Cullman, Moore and Lincoln counties are under a Winter Storm Advisory (light purple/blue) until tomorrow at 6 p.m. in which mixed precipitation is expected, and total snow/sleet totals could reach less than an inch, and ice totals could reach 0.01 to 0.1 inches. Avoid travel today unless absolutely necessary.
Central Alabama: Wintry mix may fall this morning in the northernmost part of the area. Rain will move into the area in the afternoon hours and continue as rain overnight. Highs will be in the upper 40s through the upper 50s.
South Alabama: Rain will begin in the afternoon/evening today and persist through the night. Highs will sit in the low to mid 60s.
INTERESTING SUNDAY
North Alabama: Rain will continue through the morning Sunday, before cold temperatures begin to funnel into the area. This will cause a switch back to a wintry mix for the afternoon before precipitation ends in the evening. Highs Sunday will be in the upper 30s to low 50s. The Weather Prediction Center has placed most areas, except for the northwest, under a Marginal Risk (1/4) for Excessive Rainfall. Ponding and isolated flash flooding could occur.
Central Alabama: Widespread and continuous rain will occur through the afternoon Sunday. The southernmost parts of the area are under a Marginal Risk (1/5) for Severe Weather, with the potential for strong winds and a possible quick spin-up tornado. The northernmost area is under a Marginal Risk for Excessive Rainfall.
South Alabama: Continuous rain and thunderstorms will affect the south tomorrow, with the majority of the area also under a Marginal Risk for Severe Weather, issued by the Storm Prediction Center. Impacts similar to central Alabama can be expected.
VERY COLD MONDAY
As the Arctic airmass that follows this system settles into the southeast, Monday morning will be very cold. Lows will range from the mid-teens in the north to the mid to upper 20s in the south. Highs will reach the upper 30s north, mid to upper 30s centrally, and upper 30s to low 40s south. Skies will be clear and dry.
CHILLY TUESDAY
A similar situation unfolds Tuesday, with lows falling to the single digits in the north, teens centrally, and low 20s south. Highs will range from the upper 30s to low 50s from north to south.
With these very cold night temperatures, flash freezing and black ice formation overnight will be a concern in the north. Exercise extreme caution if traveling Monday or Tuesday morning.
QUIET REST OF WEEK
Wednesday will be dry and clear, with highs in the upper 30s north and low 50s south. A dry cold front moves through Thursday, bringing nothing else but colder high temperatures. They will be in the low 30s north, upper 30s to low 40s in the middle part of the state, and upper 40s south. Friday will be calm too, with highs in the upper 30s through mid 40s from north to south.
RECORD LOWS
Multiple record low temperatures were recorded yesterday as the eastern two-thirds of the country began to see impacts from the winter storm. The bullets read: Location, new record, old record (date set).
Buffalo, Wyoming, -11, 1 (2009)
Chadron Nebraska Airport, -16, tied (1963)
Flint, Michigan, -17, -13 (1963)
Dubois, Pennsylvania, -7, -5 (2003)
Kalamazoo, Michigan, -15, -12 (1948)
WORSENED DROUGHT CONDITIONS
After a relatively dry week, drought conditions have worsened, especially across the southeast. 2.77% of the state is now under Extreme Drought (D4) conditions. These should improve slightly, as the state will receive beneficial rainfall this weekend.
WINTER WEATHER ENTRAPS THE COUNTRY
The eastern two-thirds of the county battles winter weather this weekend.
Heavy snowfall will impact the Southern Rockies, Plains, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern New England, with totals exceeding 12 inches. Travel will be difficult. Immediately south of the snow, 1-3 inches of sleet totals will stripe across the country.
Freezing rain and sleet will cause widespread power outages, extensive tree damage and impossible travel across the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and Southeast. Extreme cold will follow, creating life-threatening conditions to those without power.
Lake-effect snow at the Great Lakes will begin Sunday.
NATIONAL HIGH AND LOW
Ochopee, Florida, hit the national high of 89 degrees yesterday. Badoura, Minnesota, fell to the national low of –39 degrees. This is a temperature range of 128 degrees!
BEST BEACH DAY FOR NEXT FEW
If you’re itching to feel the sand between your toes, today is the best day to scratch that itch. With a low rip current risk, surf height around 1 to 2 feet, and a high temperature in the upper 60s, today is much more appealing than the next few days. Although skies will be cloudy and winds will be around 15 mph today, rain will envelope the coast tomorrow, then cold temperatures take hold through next week.
TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY
January 24, 1997 – Another Tuscaloosa Tornado
On the morning of January 24, 1997, an unusually warm and humid air mass covered Central Alabama, with temperatures in the lower 60s and dewpoints near 60F—conditions more typical of early spring than mid-winter. A warm front stretched from southern Louisiana toward Shreveport, while a powerful 850-millibar low-level jet surged northeast into Alabama beneath a strengthening, negatively tilted upper trough. By midday, a surface low had organized over the Missouri Bootheel, with a cold front trailing southwest into Texas and the warm front lifting northeast into Southwest Alabama. Just before 5 p.m., an F2 tornado touched down south of I-59 and west of U.S. Highway 69, moving northeast through Tuscaloosa. The tornado damaged major retail stores along Skyland and McFarland Boulevards, intensified after crossing the interstate, and struck the Woodland Hills neighborhood, where a 71-year-old retired physician was killed when a tree limb was hurled through the windshield of his pickup truck — the first tornado fatality in the United States in 1997. The tornado continued toward Five Points East, where a Food World store manager recognized the danger and quickly ushered shoppers inside as cars were tossed through the air, including one blown through the store’s roof. The storm moved on through the Lynn Haven, Tuscaloosa Memorial Gardens and Summerfield neighborhoods before lifting north of Highway 216 around 5:15 p.m. The tornado carved a 10-mile-long path up to 200 yards wide, injuring eight people. Although a tornado watch was already in effect, a tornado warning was not issued until 5:11 p.m., highlighting the challenges of fast-developing storms during busy afternoon hours.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
James Spann was tagged in this photo of the sunset over Long Island last night, taken by @GSBImagesMBusch.
For more weather news and information from Drew McCombs and the rest of the James Spann team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.