The weather pattern is certainly quite interesting as we close in on the winter season with one of the strongest El Nino events in at least the last fifty years and one of the earliest stratospheric warming events ever recorded over the polar region of the northern hemisphere. In the past, very strong El Nino events have resulted in much warmer-than-normal conditions during December across much of the continental US including the most recent episode of 2015-2016. The current El Nino, however, is by no means your normal “east-based” event as a rare early stratospheric warming event over the polar region throws a monkey wrench in the conventional idea of a warm month of December. Indeed, there are signs of a widespread cold air outbreak later in November during what is likely to be an active Thanksgiving Day week, and signals point to the chance for additional cold air outbreaks as we progress through the first half of December. In fact, it could end up being a very interesting period of weather between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Read More
A cold front arrives during the overnight hours, and it can be preceded with some shower activity across the northern part of Alabama. Temperatures will drop off on Thursday by some ten degrees or so from highs today in the lower 70’s and the lower 60’s more likely tomorrow afternoon. The weather stays quite cool during the late week and weekend with highs generally in the 50’s and overnight lows in the 30’s.
Read More
The next couple of days will be dry and mild across the Tennessee Valley, and then a strong cold front arrives on Wednesday night. The passage of the front will usher in much colder air for the late week and weekend with temperatures well below normal for this time of year.
Read More
The first half of the week will be rather nice across the Tennessee Valley with high temperatures near the 70-degree mark on a daily basis in the Huntsville metro region. A much colder-than-normal air mass works its way in the eastern half of the nation for the late week and weekend.
Read More
After an active weather day on Wednesday, it’ll settled down today with increasing amounts of sunshine and moderate temperatures peaking this afternoon near the 70-degree mark. Under mainly clear skies tonight, it’ll turn chilly and late night patchy fog is likely to form in some of the low-lying spots across northern Alabama.
Read More
An unusually early polar vortex disruption is now underway in the Northern Hemisphere, and it could have winter-like implications on the weather across portions of the continental US later this month and during the month of December. In a typical strong El Nino winter season, mild Pacific Ocean air can overwhelm the nation, but this rare early season polar vortex disruption throws a monkey wrench into the whole concept of a “normal” El Nino winter season. An analysis of upper-level data records going as far back as the 1950’s show just how rare this polar vortex disruption is with the closest analog coming in late November of 1968...some three weeks later than the current rare early season event. One final note, most computer forecast models are not currently showing much in the way of cold air outbreaks into the central and eastern during the second half of this month; however, I would expect them to trend colder very soon as they start “picking up” on this rare early season polar vortex disruption.
Read More
Showers and thunderstorms are likely today and some of the rain can be heavy at times as a cold front reaches the area. This front should clear out of here on Thursday, leaving some nice weather in its wake with some sunshine and temperatures peaking in the middle 70’s.
Read More
The pattern will become quite unsettled at mid-week with the chance of showers and thunderstorms from late tonight into late Wednesday night. This strong system brought heavy rainfall to the southwestern states and will head to the north and west of here into the western Great Lakes.
Read More
The pattern has been generally dry and quiet in recent days, but there will be an increasing threat of showers and thunderstorms for the second half of the weekend. In fact, the chance of showers and thunderstorms will likely last into the early and middle parts of next week with overall moderate temperatures in store for the Tennessee Valley.
Read More
On many occasions, it seems as if the overall weather pattern changes with the flip of the calendar from one month to another and, in this case, big changes may be coming to the southern and eastern US during the first week of November. It has been very dry during the past couple of weeks across many southern and eastern states with virtually no rain in many locations. A strong system will cross the nation next week and it may team with some tropical moisture over the western Atlantic to produce a significant rain event in the eastern US late next week and there can be severe weather to precede across much of the Deep South and Mississippi Valley.
Read More
