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This will be one of my last blog posts for 2005. I will be away next week on vacation, spending some time with my family. My next scheduled day here in the office is Monday, January 2, 2006.

So… I guess it might be appropriate to look back and review the big weather stories of 2005. Some years it is rather difficult coming up with the top weather story, but this year there isn’t much doubt the big story was the remarkable hurricane season. It was one of historic proportion:

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the busiest on record and extends the active hurricane cycle that began in 1995—a trend likely to continue for years to come. The season included 26 named storms, including 13 hurricanes in which seven were major (Category 3 or higher). Letters of the Greek alphabet were used to name storms for the first time since storms began acquiring names in 1953, as Hurricane Wilma exhausted the original list of 21 names. Tropical Storm Alpha and Hurricane Beta hit the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, respectively. Tropical Storm Gamma brought deadly flooding to parts of Central America. Tropical Storm Delta largely stayed over open water then moved across the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. Tropical Storm Epsilon formed on the next to last day of the Atlantic hurricane season over the central Atlantic Ocean.

Here are the noteworthy highlights of the 2005 hurricane season:

Most Numerous

* 26 Named Storms (previous record: 21 in 1933)
* 13 Hurricanes (previous record: 12 in 1969)
* Four major hurricanes hitting the U.S. (previous record: three in 2004)
* Three Category 5 Hurricanes (previous record: two in 1960 and 1961)
* Seven Tropical Storms before August 1 (previous record: five in 1997)
* Two-Year Consecutive Total of Tropical Storms: 41
(previous record: 32 most recently in 1995-96)
* Two-Year Consecutive Total of Hurricanes: 24
(previous record: 21 in 1886-87)
* Two-Year Consecutive Total of Major Hurricanes: 13
(ties record in 1950-51)
* Two-Year Consecutive Major Hurricane Landfalls: Seven
(previous record: five in 1954-55)
* Two -Year Consecutive Florida Major Hurricane Landfalls: Five
(previous record: three in 1949-50)
* Three-Year Consecutive Total of Tropical Storms: 57
(previous record: 43 most recently in 2002-04)
* Three-Year Consecutive Total of Hurricanes: 30
(previous record: 27 in 1886-8
* Three-Year Consecutive Total of Major Hurricanes: 16
(ties record in 1949-51 and 1950-52)

Costliest
Hurricane: Katrina (at least $80 billion)
(previous record Andrew, $26.5 billion - 1992 dollars)

Deadliest
U.S. Hurricane since 1928: Katrina (at least 1,300)

Strongest

* Hurricane in the Atlantic Basin: Wilma 882 millibars (mb)
(previous record: Gilbert at 888 mb)
* Three of the six strongest hurricanes on record: Wilma 882 mb (1st), Rita
897 mb (4th), Katrina 902 mb (6th)
July hurricane: Emily (155 mph top sustained winds)
(previous record: Dennis (150 mph) in 2005; Hurricane #1 (140 mph) in 1926

The Thursday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:

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

Was it cold this morning, or what? Check out J.B.'s list of lows below this post.

Temperatures have warmed nicely from the lows this morning, but the numbers are still below MOS guidance for today. The MOS products had us in the mid 50s; looks like many places will not reach 50 again today. The MOS has had a bad warm bias all season...

Having said that we will be back in the 20s late tonight, even though the MOS products have us close to 30. Temperatures will drop quickly once the sun goes down.

I do think we finally reach the 50s tomorrow with ample sunshine.

WEEKEND SYSTEM: No big change in the weekend forecast; the GFS now suggests the best chance of rain will come from about 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Saturday. QPF guidance is back up to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch for most places around here. Christmas Day should be mostly cloudy and colder, with tempertaures holding in the 40s all day with plenty of leftover clouds. A little drizzle is possible over the Tennessee Valley of extreme north Alabama, and I guess a few snow flakes are not out of the question when the upper trough passes overhead Sunday. But, most of those flakes should melt before hitting the ground with surface temps in the 40s.

NEXT WEEK: The GFS continues to show a chance of rain in the Wednesday-Thursday time frame. I don't there will be enough cold air around here for a chance of wintry precipitation at this point.

WATCHING THE NAO: The latest GFS North Atlantic Oscillation forecast still has the index in neutral territory for the next 15 days. If the NAO begins to go negative, some really cold air could drop down here. We will keep an eye on it. Still, I think temperatures average below normal for the next 15 days here in Alabama.

Brian Peters will have the morning map discussion video tomorrow, and I will handle the afternoon video one more time before I take a long winter break...

Be listening to WZZK-FM (104.7) tomorrow morning from 6 until 9... I will be hosting again, and my pal MIKE RAITA will be joining me. I know he won't stiff me like Dave Baird did this morning. In Dave's defense, he never totally promised to be there. But, I thought at least he would answer his phone!

Some places in Alabama had the lowest temperature so far this season this morning. There was a freeze over most of the state.

Here is a complete list from Alabama + a few reports from far away:

ALABAMA
14 at Black Creek (NE Etowah County) (coldest since 11 last January 24)
15 at Munford and Gaylesville
16 ar Wedowee, Dearmanville, Fort Payne, Hartselle
17 at Cottondale, Hamilton, Pinson, Hueytown, Rainbow City
18 in Heflin, Anniston, Gadsden
19 in Alabaster (lowest so far this season)
19 in Addison, Jasper, Meridianville
20 in Vinemont, Center Point, Oxford, Huntsville, Montgomery, Muscle Shoals, Troy, Moulton, Athens, Guntersville, Albertville
21 in Calera, Centreville, Fayette, Livingston, Wadley, Ashville, Horseshoe Bend, Cullman
22 in Alexander City, Decatur, Tuscaloosa
23 in Inverness, Rock Mills, Birmingham, Reform, Northport
24 at Evergreen and Shelby CountyAirport (NWS Office)
25 in Clanton, DeSoto State Park, Prattville
26 in Helena, Mentone, Eutaw
27 in Selma and atop Mt. Cheaha
28 in Mobile, Lillian, Fairhope
28 in Clay, elevation 1032 feet (another example of temperature inversion)

REGIONAL
15 in Gatlinburg (no snow)
14 atop Mt. Leconte with 12 inches of snow (Great Smoky Mountains)

NATIONAL
9 below zero at Saranac Lake, N.Y., again the lower 48 cold spot!
18 below at Point Lay, the coldest in Alaska
90 at Riverside Calif., yesterday for the national warm (hot spot

The Thursday morning map discussion video is on the server at:

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

My headline talks about a warm-up but it is quite nippy out there this morning. Scroll down to see JB's early morning post about temperatures. I just love to see the weather in action as with the inversion present giving the higher elevations of Mt. Cheaha a warmer temperature than the lower locations - exact opposite of what you might think.

But a warm-up is in store for us as the high pressure center over the southeastern US slides slowly east today and daytimes remain sunny. We should see temperatures climb into the 50s today, Friday, and Saturday with some places especially south of Birmingham pushing the 60-degree mark Friday and Saturday.

A low forms in the south central US and drags a cold front across Alabama Saturday and Saturday night. The front will usher in colder and dryer air for Christmas day. As the low moves by to the north of Alabama, we may see some wrap-around clouds with the possibility of some snow flurries. But timing of the cold air arrival as the moisture departs is always tricky.

As the westerlies retreat northward on Monday we should see another warm-up with temperatures once again climbing into 50s for highs.

Long range model guidance suggests the overall pattern will not be changing much as the long wave trough position remains anchored over the east coast while vigorous short waves traveling through the flow reinforce the cold air every couple of days. Early January shows signs of starting wet, but that is a long way out to be very specific.

Hope you have a great end to the week. James will be posting the afternoon map discussion around 3:30 pm.

-Brian-

Yep, it is another cold morning across Alabama as the month of December continues to average more than five degrees colder than normal.

Some of the coldest so far this year.

You can be sure that will show up on your heating bill.

A ray of hope, some moderating temperatures into the 50s until it turns colder again Christmas day.

+++At Black Creek, in NE Etoway County, Vic Bell reports 14 which is the coldest since last January 24.

++Low of 17 in Hueytown and Rainbow City. Other lows:

18 in Anniston, Fort Payne and Gadsden
21 in Cullman
23 at Birmingham Airport
22 in Tuscaloosa
24 at Shelby County Airport
29 atop Mt. Cheaha (Alabama's highest elevation at 2407 feet)

It is interesting to note that Mt. Cheaha is 11 degrees "warmer" than Anniston Airport which is within sight. It is the old temperature inversion that we talk about so much.