ABC 33/40 E-Forecast

ABC 33/40 E-FORECAST
Afternoon Edition For Saturday December 26, 2009
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...Interesting Forecasts Ahead...

An active weather pattern over much of the United States will lead to lots of uncertainty in the forecasting department over the next ten days, including a couple of close calls in winter weather arena.

MAP WALL: In the days before powerful computers, one wall of most weather offices was dedicated to weather maps. They were grouped and hung up pegboard. It was a lot of effort to maintain and consumed quite a bit of paper, but it allowed forecasters to quickly peruse the current situation and flip back through past versions of the same map.

ON THOSE WEATHER MAPS: We see our huge upper low centered over the Great Lakes region. That low dominates much of the country today. We find ourselves on the southeastern side of the low, giving us a strong southwesterly flow aloft. That flow has been contaminated with lots of high clouds today, filtering the sun. Surface lows are located near the upper low and along the Atlantic Coast. Surface high pressure is over the Rockies. High pressure near Panama City, Florida is influencing our weather, giving us calm, stable conditions at the surface. That high ridges back to the west all the way into Texas. Along the south side of the high, moisture is pooling over the western Gulf and is getting pushed into South Texas, where showers were falling along the Rio Grande.

CENTRAL ALABAMA FORECAST: We will continue to see filtered sunshine through the afternoon thanks to that dirty southwesterly flow aloft. Afternoon readings will top out in the upper 40s. Lows tonight will drop to near freezing on average. The higher clouds will shift a little further southeast tomorrow, with more sunshine on tap for Central Alabama. Highs tomorrow will top out near 50 degrees. A reinforcing shot of colder air will arrive tomorrow night and most areas will be below freezing by Monday morning. Monday and Tuesday should be partly cloudy, dry and cool. By Tuesday, a surface low will be developing near Brownsville. This low will travel along the Gulf Coast, spreading precipitation into Alabama late Tuesday night. It will begin as sleet or snow likely, changing over to rain during the day. The good news is that the initial precipitation will be light. Rain will be likely Wednesday into Wednesday night, ending by Thursday morning. Colder air will spill into Alabama behind the low. The mean trough will stay to our west, occasionally spitting disturbances out into the colder air, possibly giving a chance of snow flurries on New Year's Day. The weekend should be cold and dry.

WEATHERBRAINS: This week, we looked back on the remarkable career of long time Storm Prediction center Director Joe Schaefer as he approaches retirement at the end of the month. We heard from Todd Foisy of the National Weather Service Anchorage and learned about the show they produce for Alaskan Public Television. Joe Bastardi, the Long Ranger, from Accu-Weather also was on this week. He is never at a loss for an opinion! Listen at www.WeatherBrains.com or subscribe at iTunes. It's free!

ON THIS DATE IN 1996: Severe snow and ice storm hit the Pacific Northwest. Trees and power lines fell under the weight of the ice. Over 160,000 residents of Portland, OR were without power at the height of the storm, including the airport, which was clogged with holiday travelers. Many flights were cancelled in Seattle due to a thick coating of ice on the planes. The precipitation started as snow in Seattle and up to 7 inches fell before it changed over to freezing rain. A moist Pacific flow from the southwest flowing over a shallow layer of cold air being brought in by north winds at the surface resulted snow and freezing rain. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter.com @ wxhistorian.

Bill Murray
bill.murray@theweathercompany.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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TONIGHT
High clouds stream across area.
Morning Low 28
WIND: SW 5-12

SUNDAY
Partly cloudy skies.
Morning Low 31 Afternoon High 50
WIND: W 6-12

MONDAY
Mostly sunny. A chilly northwest breeze.
Morning Low 27 Afternoon High 45
WIND: NW 6-12

TUESDAY
Partly cloudy. Increasing clouds overnight.
Morning Low 26 Afternoon High 50
WIND: NW 5-10

WEDNESDAY
A wintry mix may start the day, changing to rain.
Morning Low 30 Afternoon High 45
WIND: E/NE 6-14

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Tonight on ABC 33/40:

6:00pm ABC3340 News
6:30pm Wheel
7:00pm Shrek 2
9:00pm Castle
10:00pm ABC3340 News
10:35pm Grey's Anatomy

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