Noon Update: Dangerously Cold Week of Weather
First off, Happy New Year everyone, welcome to 2018! The new year is not starting off kind with a terribly cold air mass in place, however, in all honesty, this is one of the easiest forecast we have had in some time; all you need is one word to describe the next 7 days…COLD!!! A long duration very cold forecast is head, as temperatures will be 20-30 degrees below average all week. Temperatures early this morning are in the teens and 20s, with wind chill values in the single digits in many locations. Once the suns comes up, expect a mainly sunny day, but it will remains very cold as highs today for much of Central Alabama will not climb out of the 20s, meaning we stay below freezing all day. Tonight is likely to be the coldest night of the event as there will be lots of single digits as far south as Interstate 20. Model output for lows in Montgomery tomorrow morning: the GFS 17°, while the NAM 14°.
HARD FREEZE WARNING: Is in effect until at least Wednesday as temperatures will range from 10 to 20 degrees each morning, while some locations will reach single digits at times. These prolonged sub freezing temperatures could result in exposed water pipes freezing and possibly bursting and is very dangerous for people and pets. This may be extended until Friday as additional days will likely need to be added added to to this as yet another shot of cold air arrives on Thursday.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY: To add insult to injury, the cold has a very unpleasant friend, the wind. With temperatures so cold, and gusty north winds at times, expect wind chills to range from 5 above zero to zero at times, and even below zero for some, at least for the northern third of state, as far south as Jefferson County from from 4 AM to 10 AM Monday and even father south from 4 AM to 8 AM Tuesday. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and gloves.
REST OF THIS WEEK: Despite the cold, it will be calm week of weather with mainly sunny and cold days, with clear and bitterly cold nights. No threat of precipitation all week, which is certainly some good news, but it will just remain dangerously cold for Alabama and much of the eastern half of the country with a deep trough keeping the Arctic floodgates open into the U.S. Highs on Tuesday should climb into the lower and mid 30s, but still many locations will hold below freezing. Wednesday expect a rather balmy day as we should all climb above freezing with upper 30s and perhaps some 40s in Central Alabama. Thursday another surge of cold air arrives and highs fall back into the lower to mid 30s for both Thursday and Friday. And in case you were unsure, every night will have lows well down into the teens, with some single digits expected.
GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED (G1-CLASS): NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms on Jan. 1st when a high-speed stream of solar wind engulfs Earth’s magnetic field. G1 storms are relatively minor, having little effect on satellites and power grids. However, they can spark intense auroras around the Arctic Circle and may disorient animals that use magnetic cues for navigation at high latitudes.
THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: It will remain cold into the weekend with teens expected to start Saturday, but we should begin to see a moderating trend with upper 30s and lower 40s returning. Another teenish to lower 20s night on Saturday night, then it appears we could see temperatures return to the upper 40s and lower 50s as our flow switches out of the south. It looks as though our next chance of rain arrives Sunday and into Monday, and with temps above freezing, this should be all liquid.
Please stay warm!
Ryan
