James Spann: One more mild day for Alabama before cold hits on Tuesday from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
MORE FOG: A dense fog advisory is in effect for parts of central and south Alabama early this morning; the foggy mornings have been the result of a persistent pattern with a clear sky, light wind, wet ground and temperatures falling to the dewpoints during the early morning hours. Once the fog dissipates we project a of mix of sun and clouds today with a high in the 60s.
Clouds thicken tonight, and a few showers are possible after midnight over north Alabama ahead of the Arctic front.
WET, COLDER TOMORROW: Rain will push into Alabama tomorrow as the front moves southeast. The good news is that we don’t expect any severe storms, although some thunder is possible. Looks like a decent part of the rain will be post-frontal, in the colder air. Rain amounts of around one-half inch are likely.
It is important to note that temperatures will be going the wrong way tomorrow. For the northwest corner of the state, the high will be reached during the pre-dawn hours. For places like Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden, we peak around 60 degrees at midday; then temperatures fall into the 40s during the afternoon with a cold rain falling.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: The weather looks generally cloudy and cold for the northern half of the state, and to the south periods of rain are likely Wednesday and Thursday. Highs will be generally in the 40s for area along I-20 and to the north, with 50s for the southern counties of the state. For now Friday looks mostly dry statewide with chilly temperatures continuing.
SNOW FLAKES? A clipper type system, moving down the back side of a deep upper trough over the eastern third of the nation, has potential to squeeze out a few snow flurries or convective snow showers over roughly the northern third of Alabama Friday night and Saturday.
Traditionally there isn’t much moisture with clippers, and for now accumulating snow doesn’t look especially likely. But, with heavier snow showers, especially up north over the Tennessee Valley, the ground could be white in spots in grassy areas and north-facing locations. We will keep a close eye on the situation as we get closer to the weekend.
COLD WEEKEND: The cold air is the big story for the weekend; we won’t get out of the 30s Saturday with clouds hanging around much of the day, and by daybreak Sunday we will see a low in the 18- to 22-degree range as the sky clears and the wind becomes light. Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high between 45 and 49 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: The pattern favors below-average temperatures through mid-December; for now the first part of next week looks dry and cold.
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