Times are really changing in the television business. We are in the process of making the change of being an old fashioned “broadcaster”, to a content provider whose material can be viewed on demand at a time convenient to the viewer. Of course, this will take some time to happen, but you can see the changes beginning right now.

Yesterday around 3:00, we put our live Pinpoint Doppler Radar feed on WCFT-DT, Channel 5.2. For many of you that makes no sense, but if you have a digital TV receiver and a good antenna, it is great news. WCFT-DT is the digital signal coming from our monstrous 2,000 foot tower in northeast Tuscaloosa county, the same tower that is home to our old analog signal on Channel 33. People with a digital television tuner can receive this signal on Channel 5 if they have a decent antenna; to get the live radar feed just tune to channel 5.2. Yes, we can multiple feeds over the same digital channel. This people will never have to miss regular programming again when we have to go “wall to wall” during severe weather coverage! We will take the main channel on 5.1, and put regular programs on 5.2 or 5.3. Our other digital signal will be on Channel 9 from Bald Rock mountain, the home of the Channel 40 analog signal now. The live radar will be on WJSU-DT Channel 9.2 when the transmitter goes on the air next month.

Our digital signals will ultimately be on satellite providers like DirecTV and Dish Network, and cable systems as well. The main digital signal will feature “high definition” TV, which provides stunning clarity. But for now, you generally have to have an antenna hooked to your digital TV receiver to get the “good stuff” from local broadcasters. Within a few years all TV stations will turn off the analog signals, when we will say “so long” to Channel 33 and Channel 40!

The afternoon video is on the server:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

SPC has now placed most of Alabama under a slight risk of severe thunderstorms tomorrow. No big change in our thinking; the main threat will come from damaging straight line winds, but you cannot totally eliminate the risk of a few small tornadoes. Dynamics are excellent, thermodynamics are marginal. Looks like the best risk of severe storms will come from about 12 noon through 8:00 p.m.

A change to cooler weather is ahead for Friday and the weekend, but the real cold stuff stays up north. Temperatures pretty much go back to normal levels for January here.

Still interesting to see the Arctic Oscillation forecast; the GFS shows a steep negative spike in about two weeks... see the video for details.

AND... for your digital TV viewers, we now have our live Pinpoint Doppler Radar on WCFT-DT Channel 5.2. Another words, if you have a digital TV receiver, and can receive our Channel 5 signal from our 2,000 foot tower in north Tuscaloosa county, you can watch our radar anytime on the second channel... 5.2. We will have the DTV transmitter on Bald Rock Mountain up and running on Channel 9 within a few weeks, and we will do the same thing on that signal. Times are a changin...

The temperature dropped to frigid 67 below zero at Chandalar Lake in NE Alaska today. This is the coldest I have noticed in Alaska or Canada so far this winter. The wind chill was 95 below!

It was 65 below at Burwash in the Yukon Territory of NW Canada. Tanna, Alaska had 57 below. In Fairbanks, visibility was only 1/4 mile in ice fog with a temperature of 47 below but a wind chill 65 below!

Chandalar Lake is in the Brooks Range of NE Alaska 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It can be reached only by air (bush pilots) although snow machines are used in winter. The FAA maintains an aircraft navagation beacon there. There are also some year-round resort inns on the shores of the lake.

What does this mean for us in the Deep South? Don't know but for the time being the worst of this frigid airmass is locked up although occasional pieces of it will invade the northern Lower 48. Even tonight, blizzard conditions are expected in Eastern Montana with temperatures falling far below zero.

Unseasonably mild weather continues across Alabama this afternoon, but at this same time in 1982, a crippling ice storm was well underway across Central Alabama. In the Birmingham Metro area, people were caught at work and by early afternoon, numerous automobiles were being abandoned as people stalled and slid on the ice. Many persons got out and tried to walk home.

It was one of our worst ice storms ever.

Amazingly, we have received some emails recently from people who rather have the ice than this mild weather!

The morning video update is on the server:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

The models are trending warmer and warmer in the 4 to 7 day time frame.

This morning's video looks at trends and the forecast of the AO, the Arctic Oscillation, which might give us a clue as to why cold air just isn't getting down in here now. One interesting finding is that AO, which has been positive for quite a while now, is forecast to go sharply negative in about two weeks. That might be what we need to get some of the really cold air down here into the deep south.

Still looks like a fast moving squall line tomorrow with the potential for damaging straight line winds. See the video for details.

Headed down to Clanton this morning... be back in the office later for the afternoon video and update!