Archive for the ‘Cold’ Category

Temperatures this evening just are not budging in parts of northeast Alabama.  The temps are still running below freezing from Heflin to Huntsville where icing is a major problem from the earlier freezing rain and sleet that we received.  Numerous motor vehicle accidents have been reported along with injuries.  Plain and simple…..if you don’t have to be out tonight stay indoors. 

We still expect this thermal boundary to move to the north eventually and bring everyone in the area above freezing….along with bringing some rain to us tomorrow.  The rain should be on the light side but temperatures will rebound into the 50’s and some places in the south will certainly get into the 60’s. 

We are now monitoring the potential for some winter mischief on Friday night as another compact  mid level wave comes across the region when temperatures will be conducive for frozen precipitation.  We don’t expect a major event AT THIS TIME.  I will say…..expect the unexpected when it comes to mother nature…..or plan for it at least.  We will bring you more up to date information following tomorrow mornings data.  We should have a better handle on the situation by then.

Alot of issues are ongoing and have already occurred with icing across the area from Troy on to the north.  The Freezing Rain Advisory has been allowed to expire west of I-65, but it’s still in effect until 3PM east of 65.  A total of 3 deaths have been reported thus far with many serious injuries.  Parts of I-59 have been closed as well.  Here is a look at surface temperatures and what to expect for the rest of the afternoon.

Icing potential should end for all areas including the far northeast counties by 5PM.  Warmer air is moving in from the SW and Jackson, MS is hovering near 60°!!  We should warm up even into the overnight hours and reach a temp near 60° tomorrow in Central Alabama.

Here is some video of the sleet/freezing rain from Childersburg.  YouTube didn’t convert very well, but you can see the traffic continuing with the icing ongoing as well as the ice bouncing off of vehicles and accumulating on stepping stones. 

Stay safe during the rest of your Wednesday afternoon.  Conditions will improve this evening.

Some parts of Central Alabama are below freezing this evening already as of the 10:15PM hour.  Looks like the normally colder valley regions could get down into the upper 20’s this evening, but the dewpoints are pretty high so I don’t think there is much more room for the temperatures to fall.  Winds are variable, but we will begin to get into a northeast flow of drier air across eastern sections with a more southerly flow along the western border counties by  Monday. 

The Alabama Storm Trackers and Twisted Tours guest Brandon Thomas intercepted the snow storm across sections of Oklahoma on Saturday and Early Sunday morning.  This compact and very deep upper level low developed a deformation band across portions of East and Central Oklahoma last evening and dropped some significant amounts along the I-40 corridor.  Here are a few photos from our trek.  We have more video and photos that we will be posting in the next several days.

This storm has unofficially allow Oklahoma City and many portions of Western Arkansas set the records for their snowiest winter.  It was a truely beautiful scene.  If you are interested in these kind of tours (Winter Weather, Severe Storms, Hurricanes) contact us on the Twisted Tours link at the top of the blog!

This morning…..Winter Storm Warnings are on the map from I-20 northward and east of I-65. This system is a clipper that is developing into an upper level low that will bring tremendous dynamics southward and set the stage for some very heavy snowfall later tonight as Gulf moisture streams into the system. Here is your winter storm warning and winter weather advisory areas…

Snowfall will be very heavy as a change over occurs this evening.  This snow will accumulate rapidly and snowfall rates could be 2-3″ per hour…which is MUCH heavier than the snow we experienced on Friday.  Also, we are expecting some thunderstorm induced snowfall or thundersnow.  This could really make totals add up across areas that start getting the thunder.  Now, the administration here has put together a snowfall totals map and Fred Gossage created the graphic.

We will post more details as we go throughout the day on this developing winter storm situation.

The snowfall is almost over in Central Alabama, but it was fun while it lasted.  Here is a little video as the snow was at its heaviest point across portions of Talladega County.