WBRC Weather

Weekend Forecast - Very Wet Sunday

High pressure is going to be fairly stubborn over the next 24 hours.  This should keep the bulk of the rain to the north and west for the first part of the weekend.  Rain chances will climb Sunday and especially late Sunday into Monday.  Most likely we'll see 3-4" of rain from this system - possibly more in some areas as we head into early next week.  Flash flooding will be likely especially north of I-20. What about severe weather?  Severe storms are possible in our Northwest counties as early as tomorrow.  The main threat will be hail and high winds.  While tornadoes this time of the year can't be discounted, the tornado threat will  remain very low.  I want to stress we're not expecting widespread severe weather.  Once the front clears on Tuesday, expect drier conditions for the rest of the week. Attached are a couple of images from our VIPIR forecast model. James-Paul Dice Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist james.dice@wbrc.com

Rain Delayed?

Good news for weekend activities in the Chattahoochee Valley!  Our chances for rain will be small this weekend; an isolated shower is possible tonight and  Saturday, followed by more sunshine and warm temperatures on Sunday with only a slight chance for a thunderstorm. Our best chance of rain and thunderstorms will come Monday and possibly Tuesday.  The slow-moving front responsible for quite a bit of stormy weather in other parts of the country will finally arrive, and due to continued slow movement it could linger long enough to give our area some substantial rain amounts.  We should be back to dry weather by the middle of next week. kschmitz@wtvm.com

Oil Coastal Inpact Map from NOAA

AM Forecast Update

We head into a fickle forecast weekend.  How so?  The front that we've been talking about all week is slowly meandering this way and showers will likely be widely scattered for late this afternoon into Saturday.  On Sunday this system will finally be close enough to bring us a more substantial chance of rain, and the best chance of that will likely be Sunday evening into early Monday morning.  On Tuesday only a slight chance of showers remains in the forecast.  Wednesday through Friday should be partly cloudy and warm. Today:  Increasing clouds with a 20-percent chance of showers, S winds 10-15 mph.  High 82. Tonight:  Cloudy with a 20-percent chance of showers, S winds 5-10 mph.  Low 69.   Mickey Ferguson, FOX6 Weather www.myfoxtracker.com www.myfoxstorm.com  

Oil Slick Imagery...

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=43846

A Few Showers Tomorrow

I think most of the rain should hold off until late weekend.  But, we will likely see a few showers and storms both Saturday and Sunday.  The best chances for thunderstorms will be in Marion, Lamar, Winston, Fayette, and Pickens Counties.  The overall severe threat is minimal, but this is a system will have to be watched.  The best chance for heavy rain will occur Sunday and Monday as the cool front meanders just to our north.  I think the greatest impact will be the possibility of flooding Sunday through Tuesday.  James-Paul Dice Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist james.dice@wbrc.com

Changes on the Way

After a pretty decent week’s worth of weather, things have already begun to change. A surface high pressure area is moving off to the east, setting up a southerly flow that will bring warmth and humidity back to the area the next couple of days. Aloft, a strong ridge will develop atop the Southeast, allowing the warmth to build even more. With Gulf moisture back in the picture, the next question will be how long until it rains again.  Right now it looks like the upper ridge will do a pretty effective job in blocking the next frontal system, or at least slowing it down.  Rain and thunderstorms will dominate the next few days over the Plains and much of the Mississippi River valley, including the chance for heavy rain and severe storms. We will eventually see some activity here, with a small chance for showers Saturday and Sunday followed by higher chances early next week.  Right now it looks like we’re going to stay out of the axis of heaviest rain and also the severe weather this time.  Those threats should stay well west of us here in West Georgia and East Alabama. Our weekend will turn out warm and humid, and while some rain cannot be ruled out we are not expecting a washout. kschmitz@wtvm.com

Oil Spill Imagery and Map Update

Oil Map Link

http://media.al.com/live/photo/mississippi-overflight-map-for-oil-slickjpg-12a0ad9d51c559c3.jpg

Complex Weekend Setup...

Sunny and Warm:  Full sunshine will bring temperatures up into the 80s today, a very nice warm up after a chilly morning.  The rain-free weather will gradually go away over the next 48 hours, as a complex weather system begins to take shape to our west. Rain This Weekend? A front will stall out just to our northwest over the weekend.  Impulses of energy will roll along that front, bringing rain and storms along for the ride.  Parts of Mississippi, northwest Alabama, and Tennessee could have some big flood problems as a result of this setup. For us, this will mean most of the rain stays to our west.  But, with the relatively close proximity of the front, we will likely see a few scattered showers or thunderstorms through the weekend.  It will not be widespread or last all day, but a few wet periods are certainly possible Friday evening through Sunday.