The Wednesday afternoon map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

I am writing this in the very comfortable ABC 33/40 Storm Chaser, which serves as an excellent mobile weather center even on beautiful days like this. Our friends at Southern Comfort conversions did a great job on this van when it was put together six years ago. I am in downtown Gadsden right now, and will be over in Jacksonville doing the weather live at 5:00 and 6:00 on ABC 33/40 News.

A COOL CRISP NIGHT AHEAD: J.B. Elliott writes our daily afternoon forecast package, and he was dropped the low in our forecast tonight down to 47 degrees. Of course, the cooler valleys will be close to 40, and some of the ridgetops will be in the low 50s. But, everyone will enjoy a real taste of autumn. Scroll down below this post to see some of the observed lows this morning across the state.

QUICK CHANGES: The 12Z GFS looks good, and there is no reason to change our forecast thinking for the next seven days. Moist air returns quickly on Friday, and scattered showers and storms should form during the day, and will continue Friday night. Yep, that means there will be some rain at a few high school stadiums across the state this week. Not all of them, but some fans will need the rain gear.

The surface front will hold up northwest of Alabama over the weekend, and we will remain in a very moist environment over the weekend. So, showers and thunderstorms will remain possible on both Saturday and Sunday. No complete wash-out, but it could rain at almost any time over the weekend. Between Friday and Sunday many places will receive between one and two inches of rain.

Severe weather doesn't look likely for Alabama over the weekend, but SPC does outline a severe weather risk for Saturday from roughly Texarkana to Indianapolis (areas northwest of Alabama).

NEXT WEEK: The air will dry out quickly on Monday, and we should have sunshine back in full force by Monday afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday should be rain-free, with lots of sunshine and comfortable temperatures.

LONG RANGE: Wow... the GFS is very persistent in advertising a whopper of a long wave trough from the Great Lakes down into the Deep South at the end of the month. This could mean a risk of severe storms around September 29-30, and the coldest air so far this season during the first two days of October, perhaps a setup for lows in the 30s over North Alabama.

TROPICS: Gordon is in the far eastern Atlantic headed for Europe, and Helene will recurve out into the open water of the North Atlantic. A good looking tropical wave is in the eastern Atlantic in "hurricane alley", and is a low latitude system that is a candidate to become Tropical Storm Isaac. First guess is that this one will also turn north into the open Atlantic, but we will keep an eye on it since some systems along that latitude can make into the Caribbean.

I will be back in the studio for the 10:00 news tonight, and the next map discussion video will be posted by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow!

There was certainly a nice chill in the air across Alabama this morning. Lows:

46 in Russellville and Hamilton
47 in Black Creek (46.5) lowest since last June 6
48 at Cullman Agricultural Station and at Branchville/Odenville
49 in Pinson and Scottsboro
50 in Decatur, Crossville, Desoto State Park, Cullman Airport, Heflin, Gaylesville
51 in Huntsville, Muscle Shoals, Jasper, Asheville, Ellisville, NE Trussville
52 in Evergreen, Courtland, Fort Payne, Meridianville, Alabaster (Navjho Pines)
53 in Anniston, Troy, Alexander City, Clanton, Wadley, Dearmanville
54 in Birmingham, Montgomery, Alabaster Highlands
55 in Auburn
56 at Shelby County Airport
58 in Guntersville, Dothan, Selma

OTHERS
26 in Embarrass, Minn.
36 atop Mt. Leconte in Smoky Mountains
54 in Gatlinburg (Park Headquarters)

I am sure I will be able to find a lower temperature nationally than the 26 in Northern Minnesota

From Vic Bell, our online weather watcher in the community of Black Creek, in Etowah County northeast of Gadsden:

The cool air this morning (46.5° at 0636) led to a foggy sunrise here at Black Creek....

Yup, my temperature is lower than your temperature in Central Alabama. That's because I'm not in Central Alabama. Actually, I was thinking about doing a little clue laying with weather to see if you could figure out where I am. Kind of a Where's Waldo with Weather!!! But I decided against that - my brain is probably not functioning well enough this morning to write the clues. So I'll tell you that at 7 am the temperature here is 43 degrees and we had a low of at least 42. Where is West Plains, Missouri. James Beasley from Stratus Station and I are headed to an emergency planning conference in Springfield, MO, to display the camera systems that we use at ABC 3340. We're also going to make a presentation to a television station there.

James Spann said it nicely when he said there is a hint of Fall in the air. The temperature here is lowest I've felt in probably five months - since April. And there is severe clear here, too. It's going to be a sunglasses required type of day.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, too, as we headed from Hamilton toward Springfield traveling through Memphis. Low level moisture produced a few cottonball clouds in Alabama and Mississippi, but we lost the clouds completely by the time we reached Memphis. And I saw something in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri that we haven't seen in Central Alabama yet - a small splash of color beginning to show up in the trees. That could be happening in extreme North Alabama but it sure wasn't yet on my last trip to Mt. Cheaha about ten days ago.

And the briskness in the air this morning sure feels great.

I've never been to West Plains before and it has been a great experience. The Best Western is a wonderful hotel here with free wifi - yee haa!! We asked the desk clerk, a wonderful, friendly white-haired grandmother like lady about a good place to eat. She suggested Cafe 37 on the town square, so we jumped at the chance to eat at a special place that was not some sort of National or regional chain. Wow, were we rewarded. Cafe 37 is on the square in the Opera House built in 1893 with one of those really neat embossed metal ceilings. And the food choices revealed that there must be a real chef in the kitchen. The service was exceptional and the food was superb. I talked James B. into dessert since he'd never had Creme Bruhle, and it was a wonderful taste sensation in my opinion.

Got to hit the road shortly to get over to Springfield, so I'm going to polish the sunglasses to view southern Missouri as we head west. I hope you have a great day wherever the road takes you! Springfield, here we come.

-Brian-

The Wednesday morning map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

Scroll down to the post below this one for some thoughts on the coming winter season.

What a great morning for a long walk. Fall is in the air; most places are well down in the 50s, and tomorrow morning should be even cooler. Highs today will be in the mid to upper 70s, while there remains a good chance many of you will see upper 40s by daybreak tomorrow. The humidity will stay very low, and during the day today we will enjoy a fresh north breeze.

MOIST AIR RETURNS: Friday will be a day of transition; dewpoints will rise quickly, and we will bring in a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms by the afternoon hours. A vigorous storm over the plains will weaken and move north of Alabama, so for now the chance of severe storms looks pretty small. But, a heavy downpour or two will be possible, and there will rain at some high school football stadiums Friday night.

WEEKEND WET AT TIMES: A surface front will hang up north of here over the weekend, and with a deep pool of moist air in place we will have to mention a chance of showers and thunderstorms both Saturday and Sunday. The weather will be warm and muggy with highs in the mid 80s both days. No wash-out, but just keep in mind a shower or storm will be possible at almost any time over the weekend.

NEXT WEEK: Showers will end early Monday, and sunshine should return in full force Monday afternoon as dry air takes over. For now the weather looks dry and pleasant Tuesday and Wednesday.

LONG RANGE: The GFS remains very consistent in the idea of a very deep long wave trough over the eastern U.S. at the end of the month and the first of October. If this solution is indeed correct, that would mean a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms, followed by the coolest air so far this season; possibly getting us into the 30s.

TROPICS: Helene is a good looking hurricane in the central Atlantic, but the system will recurve and is no threat to the U.S. Gordon is still a hurricane near the Azores, and is headed for the northern part of Portugal and Spain. The GFS keeps all new tropical systems in the middle of the Atlantic during the next two weeks, and the Gulf and the Caribbean remain very quiet.

OXFORD WEATHER EVENT: The NWS will hold their annual severe weather awareness day at Quintard Mall in Oxford today from 1:00 until 5:00; that includes a SKYWARN class from 3:00 until 4:00. Jason Simpson will be doing the weather live on ABC 33/40 from 11:00 until 12:00 noon if you want to come out and visit.

I will also be in East Alabama much of the day; I am speaking in Gadsden during the lunch hour, and then will be headed over to Jacksonville where I will be doing the weather live at 5:00 and 6:00. I will be working out of our mobile weather office, StormChaser 33/40, and should have all blog and video products posted on time this afternoon!

Enjoy the day; it doesn't get much better than this!