James Spann: New wave of cold air enters Alabama



COLD: Skies over Alabama are sunny this afternoon; Afternoon temperatures will range from 46° in Huntsville to 62° in Mobile.

Some clouds will move into northern counties this evening, and a few showers or thunderstorms are possible in the Tennessee Valley this evening. But the air is very dry and in most places there will be no precipitation at all. Freezing temperatures are expected early Tuesday morning in deep southern Alabama. With clear skies and light winds, a frost is possible near the Gulf Coast early Wednesday.

Clouds will increase on Wednesday and a disturbance will bring light rain to the state from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. After reaching the mid to upper 50s on Wednesday, colder air will follow the rain, and many northern Alabama communities will not get above the 40s on Friday. Another frost is likely Friday morning.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The forecast reliability is very low. We will base the forecast on the reliable European global model, which suggests most of the weekend will be dry, with highs in the 50s. Clouds return on Sunday and rain is expected from Sunday night into early next week. This could very well be beneficial rain for the state, with amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible. However, the timing could change slightly in the next few days. So keep an eye out for weather forecast updates if you have anything outdoors planned this weekend.

There are no signs of severe thunderstorms in Alabama until mid-December.

RAIN UPDATE: Here are the precipitation amounts for the year so far and the deviation from average:

• Mobile – 56.84 inches (4.93 inches below average)
• Muscle Swarms – 49.61 (0.67 above average)
• Anniston – 48.17 (0.51 above average)
• Dothan – 47.79 (1.43 below average)
• Huntsville – 47.73 (0.87 below average)
• Montgomery – 46.08 (0.22 below average)
• Tuscaloosa – 45.29 (3.32 below average)
• Birmingham – 44.66 (7.23 below average)

ON THIS DATE IN 1950: A dynamic storm system produced three tornadoes in Illinois and one in Arkansas. The same system brought significant hail to St. Louis.

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