WINDY AFTERNOON: Westerly winds are gusting to 30-35 mph across much of north Alabama this afternoon with a mostly sunny sky. Temperatures range from the 50s over the northern counties to the 70s over south Alabama. Cooler air will continue to drop southward, and most places will see a low Wednesday morning between 34 and 40 degrees with a clear sky. Winds will subside after sunset.

Expect a cooling trend over the latter half of the week; highs will be in the 50s Wednesday and Thursday, then fall into the 40s over the northern half of the state Friday. Lows will be mostly in the 30s.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: An Alberta Clipper will pull in colder air; on Saturday, highs will be in the 40s after starting the day in the 20s. The sky will be partly to mostly sunny. Clouds will increase Sunday, and rain is likely statewide late Sunday, Sunday night and into Monday morning. The American global model suggests there could be some risk of light freezing rain over north Alabama late Sunday and Sunday night, but the reliable European global model shows only rain, which we believe is correct for now based on the expected thermal fields. Highs Sunday will range from the 40s over north Alabama to the 50s for the southern counties.

COLD WAVE NEXT WEEK: Rain ends Monday morning, and temperatures will likely fall into the 30s as a long-duration cold wave begins. A few snow flurries are possible over north Alabama in the colder air Monday, but for now we expect no impact.

The middle of next week will be very cold and dry, with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens and 20s over the northern half of the state. Global models show strong signals of a surface low forming in the northern Gulf of Mexico by Friday, Jan 10. New model data this morning shows a drier look for Alabama, but the runs will flip and flop a number of times over the next few days. It is too early to know whether any of the Deep South will see a winter storm, but the possibility is certainly there.

A reinforcing surge of very cold arctic air will likely arrive around Jan 11-12. Everyone will need to prepare for one to two weeks of very frigid air across the Deep South.

ON THIS DATE IN 1963: Cold arctic air was flowing into Alabama at the surface. To the south, low pressure was in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Moisture was spreading up over the Florida Panhandle and southeast Alabama. Up at 18,000 feet, a strong trough was rotating toward Alabama. This trough would cut off into a strong upper low over Louisiana.

This would set the stage for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve Southern snowstorm. The snow would begin during the morning in Birmingham and continue for the better part of the next 24 hours, into New Year’s Day.

An amazing 10 inches fell at Bay St. Louis on the Mississippi Coast. Just west of there, people in New Orleans rejoiced to see 4½ inches of snow on the ground by New Year’s morning. Everyone except Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, who knew his heavily favored Crimson Tide could handle just about anything that occurred in the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss except for snow. (Alabama won the game 12-7).

When it was all over, the Magic City had recorded 8.4 inches of snow, its fifth-largest snowstorm ever. Florence picked up 19.2 inches, a record that still stands for the state of Alabama. Huntsville measured 17.1 inches during the storm, with 11 inches on the ground New Year’s morning.

Some more notes about that historic storm:

• Hundreds of people became stranded at New Year’s Eve parties and had to spend the night with their hosts.
• As much as 14 inches of snow fell across west-central Alabama in south Pickens and north Choctaw County.
• About 5 inches fell in north Mobile County.
• Another zone of heavier snow included 10 inches in east Alabama from about Talladega to Heflin. Eight-inch amounts were common in central Alabama.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.