James Spann: Unseasonably cold weather for Alabama through Thursday from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
DOESN’T FEEL LIKE SPRING: The average high for March 14 in Birmingham is 66; temperatures today will be about 20 degrees below that level as cold air continues to blow into the state on the back side of the blizzard moving up the East Coast. We will have the chance of some drizzle this morning, with snow flurries possible over the northeast counties of the state. Clouds hang tough much of the day with temperatures holding in the 40s.
TO THE NORTHEAST: An intense Nor’easter is bringing lots of snow and wind to the Northeast U.S. today. It is always a huge challenge dealing with precipitation type during these events, and the radar shows some of the larger cities getting more sleet and freezing rain, which will affect snow totals.
One way or another, this will be a very disruptive storm from Washington, D.C., to Boston with power outages, coastal flooding and beach erosion.
FREEZE WARNING: Freezing temperatures are likely over much of Alabama both tomorrow morning and Thursday morning; freeze warnings are in effect deep into the southern counties of the state. For most places, lows will be in the mid 20s, but colder pockets across North and Central Alabama could very well see upper teens.
The record low tomorrow morning (March 15) for Birmingham is 12 (two days after the great Blizzard of ’93), so that is not in danger. The record low for Thursday (March 16) is 23, set in 1916. We will be very close to that.
Both tomorrow and Thursday will be sunny; the high tomorrow will be in the upper 40s, followed by mid 50s Thursday.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: We go back into the 60s Friday afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds; then we will bring in the chance of showers Saturday as the weekend begins, thanks to an approaching cold front. The rain won’t be too heavy or widespread, but if you have something planned outdoors Saturday, just be aware it will rain at times, with a high in the 62- to 65-degree range. Then, Sunday looks sunny, with a high in the low 60s.
NEXT WEEK: For now, Monday and Tuesday look dry and mild. Seems like a decent rain event could be setting up late in the week.
ON THIS DATE IN 1993: Birmingham’s low was 2 degrees above zero with more than 1 foot of snow on the ground after the Blizzard of ’93. Easily our coldest March temperature on record.
WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including meteorologists at ABC 33/40.
CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Instagram
Pinterest
Snapchat: spannwx
For more weather news and information, visit AlabamaWX.