James Spann: Rainy Week for Alabama; Ice is only found in the northwest

James Spann forecasts a wet week for Alabama from the Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: It’s still raining early this morning in parts of Southeast Alabama, but that rain will soon stop, and a decent portion of the coming day will be dry. However, the clouds will linger and we will see a wide spread of temperatures, with highs ranging from the 50’s over northern Alabama to the 70’s near the coast. There should be only a few showers tonight.

TUESDAY TO THURSDAY: A disturbed southwest flow persists through mid-week with very little sun. We will forecast intermittent light rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a well soaked Thursday as the main wave passes. Rainfall between now and Thursday night is 2-3 inches over northern Alabama, with 1-2 inches for the south.

A wide range of temperatures will continue Tuesday. Those around Muscle Shoals and Florence could very well hold out in the upper 30’s while Mobile is hitting the low to mid 70’s. Most communities in Alabama will be in their 50’s and 60’s. An ice storm warning is in effect for Memphis and parts of western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and eastern Arkansas. Freezing rain is expected to cause significant ice accumulation in these areas, potentially enough to cause power outages. Freezing rain is expected in western parts of Texas.

FRIDAY AND WEEKEND: Dry air will return with clear skies on Friday and full-scale sunshine on Saturday. Disruption will bring some clouds on Sunday along with a light risk of rain. Weekend temperatures are seasonal with highs in the 50’s and 60’s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look free of rain, but it is likely to rain again on Wednesday. Dryer air will follow until Thursday and Friday. There is still no sign of the bitterly cold Arctic air until mid-February.

ON THIS DAY IN 1966: The 1966 blizzard hit New York and paralyzed the region. Train traffic was disrupted. Numerous freeways, the New York State Thruway from Albany to the Pennsylvania State Line, and Buffalo Airport and other airports in west and central New York have been closed. The Syracuse-Oswego area was hardest hit, where Bob Sykes, a meteorology professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, reported 102.4 inches.

Brutally cold arctic air invaded the deep south. Birmingham’s low was 4 degrees below zero.

ON THIS DAY IN 2013: Six tornadoes made landfall over northern Alabama. Some of the greatest damage occurred in parts of Lamar, Winston, Walker, Fayette and Cullman counties.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to view the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.

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