ABC 33/40 E-Forecast

ABC 33/40 E-FORECAST
Morning Edition For Thursday December 18, 2008
===================================================================
ZOËS KITCHEN - EAT SMART. EAT FRESH.
FINALLY! A GIFT IN GOOD TASTE!

Zoës Kitchen is making your Holiday gift giving easier than ever.
Purchase your Zoës Holiday Gift Cup today for only $24.95
Gift Cup includes: reusable cup, Zoës Spice of Life & $20 gift card

Sign up for Z-MAIL at www.zoeskitchen.com to receive coupons
and news via email. Just type in your email and keep an eye on
your inbox! Your email will be kept private! Our Guarantee!

Patton Creek 205-989-4020 Homewood 205-870-1100
Summit 205-967-5800 Crestline 205-871-0060
Downtown 205-252-5200 Tuscaloosa 205-344-4450
===================================================================

...December Warm Spell For Alabama...

NOT FEELING LIKE CHRISTMAS: Yesterday's high in Dothan was 80 degrees;
makes you think more of a late spring day on the Gulf Coast instead of
Christmas time. Look for more December warmth through Saturday; here
across the northern half of the state we expect daily highs between 70
and 75 degrees, and more than likely a few record highs will be
established across the Deep South along the way. While mornings will
feature low clouds and fog, intervals of afternoon sunshine are
possible, and any showers today and tomorrow should be very widely
separated, and most likely over the northern third of the state. A few
spots down in South Alabama should reach 80 degrees again each
afternoon through Saturday.

NEXT COLD AIR SHOT: A sharp surface cold front is forecast to pass
through Alabama Sunday, that should bring widespread rain, and a sharp
change to colder weather. We believe temperatures will be in the 50s
during the morning, but look for a fall through the 40s during the day
as cold air moves into the state with a brisk north wind. We believe
the rain will be over Sunday evening before surface temperatures get
down to the freezing mark.
Monday looks like a cold and dry day, with a morning lows in the 20s.
We will struggle to reach the low 40s even with a good supply of
sunshine, and another freeze is likely early Tuesday morning.

WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS? We continue to see very good evidence of a big
rain event for Alabama on Christmas Eve, Wednesday December 24. That
rain should end Wednesday evening, followed by a cool and dry
Christmas Day. At this time, we expect a low Christmas morning
somewhere between 26 and 32, with a daytime high in the low 50s.

GLOBAL COOLING: Heavy snow has been falling in Las Vegas; the snow
began to fall across much of the Las Vegas valley early yesterday
afternoon and continued throughout the overnight hours. This will
likely be the biggest snowstorm to impact Las Vegas since 1979, when
7.8 inches of snow was measured at McCarran International Airport.
Last night No flights are taking off or landing at McCarran Airport
due to poor visibility and flights from around the country that are
headed to Las Vegas are being kept on the ground until the weather
improves. See pictures of the Las Vegas snow on the ABC 33/40 Weather
Blog.

ACROSS THE FROZEN TUNDRA: That same winter storm will move out of the
Southwest U.S. and bring heavy snow to parts of the Upper Midwest and
the Great Lakes tonight and tomorrow, where winter storm watches are
in effect. Coldest spot in the nation yesterday morning was Williston,
North Dakota with 24 degrees below zero. Searchers early yesterday
found a pair of hikers from Tucson, Arizona, who apparently were
stranded in a snow-covered forest and mountainous area of central
Arizona.

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

=========================================================
UAB-Memphis Basketball
UAB Group Tickets Are Now On Sale!!!

Make plans now to see one of the most anticipated college basketball
games of the year. On February 26, the UAB Blazers take on the
Memphis Tigers, last year's runner-up in the NCAA Tournament.

Those who serve as group leaders of purchases of 25 tickets or more to
any of UAB's home games will also receive two upper level tickets
(a $30 value) to a game of your choice (other than Memphis). Between
now and December 17th, you will also automatically be entered to win
the grand prize, a Road Trip for Two to the Conference USA basketball
tournament in March. This package includes travel, lodging, and tickets
for the winner.

Call (205) 996-5219 for more information. Go Blazers!
=========================================================

*******************************************************

TODAY
Mostly cloudy and warm. Only a small risk of a shower.
Afternoon High 73
WIND: S 5-10

FRIDAY
Mostly cloudy; only isolated showers.
Morning Low 60 Afternoon High 72
WIND: SW 6-12

SATURDAY
Warm weather continues; mostly cloudy with widely scattered showers.
Morning Low 59 Afternoon High 72
WIND: SW 7-14

SUNDAY
Turning colder with periods of rain. Temperatures falling through the
40s.
Morning Low 40 Afternoon High 55
WIND: NW 10-20

MONDAY
Mostly sunny and cold.
Morning Low 27 Afternoon High 43
WIND: N 6-12

********************************************************

Tonight on ABC 33/40

6:00pm ABC 33/40 News
6:30pm Wheel of Fortune
7:00pm Ugly Betty
8:00pm Grey's Anatomy
9:00pm Private Practice
10:00pm ABC 33/40 News
10:35pm Nightline

*********************************************************
If you are interested in advertising on this E-Forecast, please
contact us at 205-985-9725 or bill.hardekopf@theweathercompany.com.
Ads reach over 28,700 subscribers each day, creating over 200,000
impressions each week. Just $95 per week!To subscribe or unsubscribe from the ABC 33/40 E-Forecast, go here:
http://www.jamesspann.com/eforecast.html