The ABC 33/40 Podcast is now available for Thursday May 26. Whats up with this podcast stuff, anyway?

The podcast is a simple audio forecast from our weather team, a file you can play on your computer, portable music player, or anything else that supports the MP3 format. To hear the podcast on your computer, you can click the link above directly.

The best way to get the file is to install a program like Ipodder which uses our RSS feed and automatically downloads the file onto your computer whenever it is updated.

Here is the RSS link you need for Ipodder, or similar programs:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Weathertalk

You can download IPodder free here:

http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php

We have been doing audio files for radio stations for many years; we are simply introducing an MP3 audio forecast for the general public!

Many of you downloaded the podcast audio file directly last night; you might want to try Ipodder or a similar program and see how the RSS automatic feed works. You can also use the RSS feed to bring in the latest posts from this blog on many different ways. I use an add-on to Microsoft Outlook called IntraVNews that allows posts on blogs to roll in just like e-mail messages. Many weather sites have RSS, including the Storm Prediction Center.

I will probably make our twice daily video update available by RSS soon!

The Wednesday afternoon web update is on the server:

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

We will enjoy one more cool night tonight across Alabama... temperatures by daybreak tomorrow should be close to where they were early this morning. Most folks in the 50 to 55 degree range; some of the colder spots reaching the upper 40s.

Coldest place I would find this morning was Crudup, which is in Etowah county northeast of Gadsden, near Duck Springs. The mercury there dropped to 44 degrees, as recorded by an Alabama Power automated weather station.

We will maintain a dry forecast through Friday, although the NAM is trying to suggest isolated showers late Friday afternoon. The air looks a little too dry at this point.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: This is getting to be a tough forecast. Every model run looks different, but the general idea is that we will make the change from dry continental air to moist tropical air from Saturday through Monday. Trying to tell you exactly when the rain will fall is pretty hard.

I still think a few showers will form around here on Saturday as a surface boundary drifts in here from the north. Nothing especially heavy, but a few passing showers seem likely. The latest run of the GFS (12Z) now shows the front stalling out somewhere near U.S. 278, or along a line from Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden. This would keep most of our viewing area in moist air on Sunday, and that would suggest we will need to mention a pretty good chance of a few showers and storms on Sunday. But, the 00Z run from last night showed the front making it as far south as Montgomery. We will wait on the next couple of model runs before we make any big changes in the forecast.

The 12Z run of the GFS also looks much drier for Monday, Memorial Day, with the deeper moisture shunted to the east. I sure don't buy this yet, but at least it is a possibility.

And, the 12Z run backs off on the concept of next week being really wet. Same deal... I am not buying into that; we need to see several more runs before we change our tune.

Glad J.B. Elliott is back on duty tomorrow; he will pick up the afternoon forecast shift again and he can figure all of this out. Bottom line is that we will need to mention the chance of some rain on a daily basis Saturday through Monday, during the duration of the holiday weekend. It is just very difficult now trying to be specific on exactly when the rain will fall. Stay tuned for more details!

Been very busy today, I might not have time to discuss the new Podcast project until sometime tonight. Way behind the power curve...

The Wednesday morning web video is on the server:

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

How about those dewpoints in the 40s this morning! What a great day today; a sunny sky, low humidity, excellent visibility, and a gentle north breeze. Most places won't even see 80 today despite the sun.

We will maintain a dry forecast until the...

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: The latest run of the GFS in hand (00Z run) now moves a cold front in here on Saturday, which would mean we need to mention the risk of a few showers on we begin the holiday weekend. At this moment, we don't have any rain in the formal forecast, but we will bring in the chance of showers on Saturday if the 12Z run confirms this later today.

Then, the front moves to around U.S. 80 on Sunday, which would suggest the best chance of showers would be over south Alabama at that point. Again, we will take a look at the next run before any changes.

Still looks like the best coverage of showers and storms will come on Memorial Day as an upper trough approaches from the west.

The models are pretty consistent in suggesting much of next week will be wet. We sure can use the rain and the increased soil moisture. The period from May 30-June 2 will feature some chance of rain on a daily basis, and there is a pretty good chance most of the state will see some beneficial rain.

PODCAST: We are going to begin a daily audio feed designed for use on portable audio devices and any computer; I will explain this in a post later today. The key to podcasting is having the audio file automatically downloaded to your computer, which in turn will go onto any IPod or MP3 player when connected, and that involves RSS, XML, and all kind of good stuff. More later...