Wednesday: High pressure will move north of Alabama on Wednesday continuing to send frigid northerly winds across the state. Expect plenty of sunshine with cold high temperatures in the lower 40s. Lows will be in the upper teens to lower 20s Wednesday night. Thursday will start clear, but clouds will increase during the afternoon ahead of a low developing in the western Gulf of Mexico. High temperatures stay in the lower 40s.
***Weather Alert Thursday Night through Friday***
Our next weathermaker arrives on Thursday night into Friday night. It is currently over the SW USA. An area of low pressure will move east right along the Northern Gulf Coast.
We will have to watch to see where it tracks as that can drastically change the forecast. The low will send moisture/rain into the cold air over Alabama causing it to mix with freezing rain/sleet/snow during the morning.
Snow Totals: An early look forecast calls for around 1" possible across the Birmingham area. 2-3"+ from Jasper to Gadsden, and over 4" across Northern Alabama. Further south, totals will rely heavily upon the mix of snow to sleet and rain. Some spots may miss out entirely on accumulations in the south. Others may get more than an inch. These transitions are tricky so be prepared for anything!
All models now show ice and/or snow for Birmingham. A glaze of ice and snow is likely for the AM Commute on bridges, and snow accumulation of at least 1 inch is possible for areas along and north of Birmingham. Expect significant travel issues for the Friday Morning Commute.
High temperatures will warm above freezing into the middle to upper 30s in the afternoon changing the precipitation to a cold rain. The rain will change back to snow flurries Friday night as the low moves northeast into Georgia. Lows will be in the upper 20s to lower 30s.
Weekend Outlook: Saturday will be cloudy and cold with snow flurries. Highs will be in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Sunday will become mostly sunny with highs in the 40s.
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