ABC 33/40 E-Forecast

ABC 33/40 E-FORECAST
Morning Edition For Tuesday December 16, 2008
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Summit 205-967-5800 Crestline 205-871-0060
Downtown 205-252-5200 Tuscaloosa 205-344-4450
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...Record Warmth Possible By Thursday...

COLD AIR NOT FAR AWAY: It has been very interesting to watch the
progression of the bitterly cold air that covers much of the nation
this morning; the leading edge of that cold air clipped into Northwest
Alabama yesterday afternoon, with temperatures in the Shoals area
falling into the low 30s late last night. The front seemed to come to
a halt along a line from near Sulligent to Carbon Hill to Decatur and
to Huntsville. There is a chance of some light freezing rain or
drizzle this morning around Florence and Muscle Shoals, and a freezing
rain advisory was issued for Lauderdale and Colbert counties last
night due to the possibility of some icy bridges in the northwest
corner of the state. The most serious icing will be over West
Tennessee, extreme North Mississippi, and Arkansas.

THE REST OF THE STATE: For Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Gadsden, and points
south, mild weather is the story today with highs in the 60s. And, a
moist airmass and a persistent southwest flow aloft will mean
occasional showers. The showers should thin out a bit tonight and
tomorrow as the stalled front lifts northward as a warm front, putting
even the northwest counties in mild air.

RECORD HIGHS? Looks like Thursday will be the warmest day this week;
we are forecast a high Thursday of 75 degrees; the record high for
Birmingham for December 18 is 76 degrees set in 1984, we will be very
close to that figure. Some upper 70s are possible for some communities
across West and South Alabama. The chance of a shower Thursday looks
small at this time thanks to an upper ridge nosing in here from the
south. The sky will be partly sunny.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Rain should increase again Friday and Saturday
as the Arctic boundary begins to drop south. The leading edge of the
cold air should push farther into Alabama at some point over the
weekend; for now it looks like we will have a hard time getting out of
the mid 40s Sunday with periods of rain. We should note here
forecasting shallow layers of cold air near the surface is a very hard
thing to do; temperatures could be significantly cooler, so stay tuned
for possible forecast changes in coming days. The cold air shot should
be temporary; we expect temperatures to rise again during the middle
of next week as we approach Christmas Day.

BRUTAL COLD: Bitterly cold air covers much of the nation, except the
East Coast and the Southeast. Coldest spot in the nation yesterday
morning was Port of Morgan, Montana with 34 degrees below zero. The
high in Fargo, North Dakota was 11 below zero. For some cities up
north, this is the coldest air since January 2005, or almost four
years. Winter weather advisories of various types are in effect for
much of the nation in a band from Texas to Pennsylvania, and out west
across much of the mountainous region. Flagstaff, Arizona is expecting
a storm total of around two feet of snow. And, heavy rain across
Southern California has produced flooding, especially across the areas
burned by wildfires earlier in the fall.

James Spann
jspann@abc3340.com

ABC 33/40 7 Day Planner: http://cfc.abc3340.com/abc3340/7day.cfm
ABC 33/40 Weather Blog: http://www.alabamawx.com

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TODAY
Cloudy and mild with occasional showers.
Afternoon High 64
WIND: S 6-12

WEDNESDAY
Mostly cloudy and warmer. A few scattered showers.
Morning Low 58 Afternoon High 69
WIND: SW 6-12

THURSDAY
Partly sunny with record warmth possible. Only a small risk of a shower.
Morning Low 58 Afternoon High 75
WIND: SW 7-14

FRIDAY
Mild weather continues with a few periods of rain.
Morning Low 59 Afternoon High 72
WIND: S 6-12

SATURDAY
Mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers.
Morning Low 52 Afternoon High 62
WIND: W 7-14

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Tonight on ABC 33/40

6:00pm ABC 33/40 News
6:30pm Wheel of Fortune
7:00pm Charlie Brown
Christmas
8:00pm According To Jim
9:00pm Eli Stone
10:00pm ABC 33/40 News

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