WBRC Weather

Winter Weather Advisory through Noon Saturday

Weekend Snow Watch

We've been fine-tuning the forecast for this weekend.  If you haven't heard, there is a threat for snowfall late Friday into Saturday.  The forecast rumor-mill is probably a bit more interesting than the actually forecast.  This particular system is very moisture starved which means little in the way of measurable precipitation.  However, what we are lacking in moisture we are making up in cold air.  The 540 thickness line makes its all the way to Florida this weekend.

The best chance for seeing a dusting of snowfall (mainly in the grassy areas) will be areas north of I-20.  Many places will not even see any snowfall accumulate.  If you are traveling to Northeast Alabama including Jackson and Dekalb Counties - it's possible you could see 1+" of snowfall because of the higher elevations.

Our RPM model is indicating the best chance of snowfall to occur between 3am and 7am Saturday.  The most accumulation based on the model would be areas East of I-65.  We are not anticipating travel issues since the window for snowfall will be very short-lived.


The threat for snowfall should end Saturday afternoon with clearing skies toward the evening.  Highs on Saturday will reach the lower 40s with overnight lows Sunday morning falling into the mid 20s.  Sunday looks primarily sunny with highs in the mid 40s.

We'll keep you updated.

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: @jpdice_Fox6

Englewood Students React To Snow-Tuscaloosa County

I know it was a terrible day as far as travel and road conditions. We are still concerned about icy road conditions tonight. As you know however, the kids always love the snow. I had to share this video because it reminds me of my days as a student at Englewood Elementary School. This video was uploaded by 5th grade instructor, Mrs. Collins. She informs her class that it's snowing! Their reaction is priceless.

Fox 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
wwyatt@wbrc.com
Twitter @weswyattweather
Facebook.com/weswyattfox6

Ice Development Possible Tonight-Use Extra

(Viewer picture from Straight Mountain in Oneonta.)

We’ve been in contact with our team of weather watchers, gauging the locations with snow still on the ground. It seems like there is still a good bit of snow on the ground in locations north of Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. Also, east and northeast of Birmingham there is still snow cover. I think there could be a few spots with snow south of the mentioned locations, but I'm thinking these areas should mainly be in higher elevations. The temperature in Birmingham is actually up to 39-degrees. The temperature in Cullman is up to 37. Since we are above freezing at this hour snow will be slowly melting away. However, the sky is clear and the snow cover will help to lower temps below freezing after midnight. Therefore, black ice and re-freezing will be an issue. We urge you to use extra caution tomorrow morning as patchy ice will be an issue. For all Friday closing information be sure to visit http://myfoxclosings.com  

January 2013 Snow...Some Observations

Today we dealt with a classic cold-core upper level low pressure system. It’s amazing how we can be in the mid 30s and low 40s and hours later be dealing with heavy snow, or in today’s case thundersnow. As the precipitation falls the colder air aloft is pulled closer to the earths surface. At one point in the afternoon the sun was shining with temps in the 40s in Tuscaloosa while Birmingham looked like a winter wonderland!

If the snow at peak intensity would have continued for a longer period of time, the surface temperature may have reached freezing and stayed there. The snowfall rate and intensity were key in the problems we faced today. I think the big surprise today was a convective band of snow that developed in the west and northwest part of the storm system. Just like severe storm events, we can always get a good handle on the areas favorable for severe weather but trying to nail down specific towns/communities can be a challenge, especially in the days leading up to an event. The convective bands with embedded thunder dumped so much snow in a short amount of time that road conditions deteriorated in a hurry! As we analyze all of the data associated with this event I think we will find some of the highest totals in a zone that stretches from northern Pickens County east and northeast into southern Fayette, northern Tuscaloosa, Waler, Winston, Cullman, Blount, and northern Jefferson counties. Our weather watcher in Cullman reported 4" of snow today! We want to thank all of our viewers for the reports and the pictures. Be sure to check our share.myfoxal.com site for pics and also check our main site for the video of the thundersnow. As an Alabama native I've only witnessed this twice in our state, once during the superstorm of 1993 and today. 

Fox 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
wwyatt@wbrc.com
Twitter @weswyattweather
Facebook.com/weswyattfox6

Snow Bands in Mississippi

We're seeing bands of snow on radar this morning as the upper-level low deepens and tracks toward Alabama.

On average, snowfall amounts for us will be around 1-2" in the grassy areas.  We could see some heavier amounts in some of the convective bands.  It's possible to see isolated areas receiving upwards of 4" of snowfall.  While I"m not anticipating any widespread travel problems, some of the backroads and elevated roads could become slick.  Temperatures will fall to around 34 degrees as the low passes over the area.

Snowfall is likely to begin in West Alabama as early as 6am with this system exiting the state by 4pm leaving some accumulation in the higher terrain of East Alabama.

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6 

 

Snowfall Total Forecast For Thursday

Wes Wyatt Fox 6 Meteorologist - wwyatt@wbrc.com

A "Little" Snow in the Forecast

If you're a snow-lover, you may get your wish tomorrow.  I'm not talking about a blizzard or anything that should shut down businesses or schools.  This will likely be a combination of flurries, rain, and perhaps some accumulation in the grassy areas.  A couple of things are working in our favor if you're a traveler.  

1) Ground temperatures are above freezing

2) This is a fast moving system.

For people who are from places like Cleveland or Buffalo this attempt at snow would not be enough to raise an eyebrow.

Forecast models are showing the cold core low tracking from Southwest to Northeast across Alabama and dropping the temperatures just above the surface to below freezing.  Surface temperatures are still expected to reach between 38-42 degrees tomorrow.

This is the RPM model.  It's one of many in our arsenal at Fox 6.  By 1pm tomorrow - it's hinting at a dusting of snow across West Alabama extending back toward Jackson, Mississippi.

The NAM or North American model is indicating rain and snow mixed across the area.  It would suggest the heaviest snowfall would be in the higher elevations of East Alabama.  It would not be surprising to see upwards of an 1" or more of snowfall on Mt. Cheaha, Straight Mountain, Sand Mountain, or Lookout Mountain.  These are the only areas where I think some travel issues could exist because of the higher elevations.

The "blue encircled area" on the the above NAM plot agrees with the RPM showing where the snow will begin.  That's largely an area in West Alabama including Tuscaloosa.  This will occur mid to late morning Thursday.  Remember, this event will begin as rain only early.

During the afternoon much of the moisture will outpace the cold air.  But, we'll still see some light accumulations in East Alabama around 4-5pm.

In the whole scheme of things, this snow event would be a 2 on a scale of 1-10.  These upper-level lows are difficult to predict, but it would be very difficult for us to have any major travel issues because of the warm ground and the overall speed of the system.  It's not quite the perfect setup.  Expect a fairly rapid clearing in the wake of the system with sunshine back on Friday.

We'll keep you updated!

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6 

A Chilly Friday Forecast

The average high temperature for today is 85.  That's not going to happen.  We'll be lucky to reach the upper 70s.  In the history of weather records, the high on June 1 has only been 77 degrees or below 13 times.  So - this is a big deal.  Fortunately - it will give us a slight break on our utility bill.

It will take some time for these pesky clouds to clear.  We are seeing some clearing to the west of I-65 already this morning.  During the afternoon we'll have quite a bit more sunshine with the exception of East Alabama.


Strong high pressure is expected to build behind the cold front tonight and through the weekend.  This will mean cool and dry weather for most of the state.


I'm forecasting temperatures as long as 50 tonight for extreme North Alabama.  Most of us will have temperatures in the mid 50s during the overnight.  Saturday and Sunday will be sunny days.

Rain chances will return next week.  We could see a few showers as early as Sunday night.

J-P Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6 

COOSA VALLEY ACADEMY

I travelled to Harpersville today and had a fantastic time at Coosa Valley Academy.  Thanks so much for having me out!

Forecast Update - Clear Skies Ahead

Temperatures climbed into the mid 70s this afternoon with little (if any) cloud cover across the region.  We had a bit of a north breeze at around 5-10mph.  Looks like we'll see more sunshine in the coming days with the only notable change is some slightly cooler weather.  A weak cool front will slide southward by Wednesday.


Some folks would called this "Blackberry Winter", but that's not much of a Winter to this one.  It's possible we could see a few areas fall into the upper 30s Wednesday and Thursday.  High pressure and relatively dry air will keep us in good shape through the rest of the week. 

Next Weekend: Expect plenty of sunshine with temperatures returning to the lower 80s.  No rain is in the forecast.  Morning lows are expected in the upper 50s and lower 60s.

Long Range Forecast:  Temperatures still look above average with high likely in the upper 80s by early May.  Precipitation forecast looks to be average or below.  So - get the sprinkers ready.

James-Paul Dice
Fox 6 Chief Meteorologist
jdice@wbrc.com
Twitter: jpdice_Fox6