Good Morning! Today will BE SHARPLY Colder. As I type this at 4AM We’re in the low 50’s. It’s all down hill from here. By 5PM we’ll be in the upper 30’s. Gusty northwest winds gusting to 20 to 25 mph, will add to the chill. Tonight will be bitterly cold. By Dawn Monday, lows will reach the upper teens, with the Wind Chill falling to as low as 5. A Gulf storm system will bring a risk of significant accumulating snow Tuesday and Tuesday night, with the heaviest snow along and south of I-85. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued. Significant travel problems are likely. Extremely Cold Artic air will dominate the week with highs in the 30’s and overnight lows in the upper teens and lower 20’s. Here’s my brief video forecast discussion.
TODAY: SHARPLY COLDER. Falling temperatures, falling to the upper 30’s by 5PM. Northwest winds gusting to 20 to 25 mph.
TONIGHT; Cold Weather Warning Bitterly cold. Low in the upper teens, but Wind Chill will fall to single digits. (maybe as low as 5)
MLK DAY: Sunshine, but breezy and cold. High in the mid 30’s. Low Near 20 Monday night.
TUESDAY: WINTER STORM WATCH. Chance of morning flurries. Then periods of snow after Noon. High mid 30’s. Accumulating snow expected. Snow becomes even more likely Tuesday evening and Tuesday night. Perhaps ending by Midnight. Low Tuesday night 18.
NEXT FEW DAYS:
MAJOR WINTER BLAST:
Here’s a snapshot of Tuesday morning showing an important Low Pressure system developing in the SW Gulf, tracking eastward. This is the classic set-up for a Winter Storm for Alabama. It appears the heaviest accumulating snow will be along and south of US 80/I-85.
A Winter Storm Watch now covers the southern 2/3 of Alabama from about I-20 southward. Significant accumulating snow will cause major travel issues especially starting Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday night and through Wednesday morning.
Here’s the IMPACT map from NWS. The purple area is where Dangerous Travel conditions are most likely. Closures are likely.
Here’s the updated expected Accumulation map from NWS.
Here’s a couple of model snapshots Tuesday evening at 6:00PM. The EURO shows just snow across south Alabama. The NAM warns tat there could be an icy mix closer to the coast.
As far as potential accumulation, here’s the National Model Blend. It has the area of potential significant accumulation shifted northward on this latest run. It shows much of the Winter Storm Watch area could see 3 to 4”. Heavier snow is expected in parts of MS and LA.
Look at the extent of the snow band across the Deep South. This is likely to be a HISTORIC storm system that will be talked about for years.
Many of you will find this NWS Detailed Technical Forecast discussion very interesting with lots of extremely good information.
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&product=AFD&issuedby=BMX
Here’s the 10 Day Model Blend Temperature Trend, Our week ahead wilk be dominated by extremely cold days and frigid nights. But, I like what I see for next weekend. A nice warming trend. Maybe even 60+ by Sunday and Monday.
Thanks for reading this special blog update. There will be additional updates as more information becomes available. I’m planning another Facebook Live at 10:30 on our Weather Page.
There will be another Blog Update early tomorrow morning. In the 4 o’clock hour. Our Weather App will keep you on top of the action with instant Winter Weather Alerts.
–Rich