Just wanted to post a quick note to alert everyone to the windy conditions expected across North and Central Alabama on Sunday...

Winds will average 15-25 mph out of the southwest today with occasional gusts over 35 mph. Higher elevations will experience higher winds.

A wind advisory is in effect for Sunday north of I-20 and a lake wind advisory is in effect for areas south of I-20.

Boaters should consider postponing lake activities today because of the winds. Outdoor burning should also be postponed. In addition, high profile vehicles will be affected. Drivers are cautioned to be alert to prevent losing control of their vehicles.

Here is the text of the NWS advisory...

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
912 PM CST SAT JAN 7 2006

...BREEZY DAY EXPECTED SUNDAY...WIND ADVISORY AND LAKE WIND
ADVISORY IN EFFECT ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...

.INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
PASSING THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND INTO THE OHIO VALLEY WILL RESULT
IN A BREEZY DAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA SUNDAY. A COLD FRONT TRAILING
FROM THE LOW WILL DRAG THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT. AS
THIS FEATURE HEADS INTO THE DEEP SOUTH SUNDAY...THE INCREASING
PRESSURE GRADIENT AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL RESULT IN SOUTHERLY
WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH
AS 35 MPH POSSIBLE.

WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSTATE 20
CORRIDOR...ESPECIALLY OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. A WIND ADVISORY HAS
BEEN ISSUED BETWEEN 9 AM AND 6 PM SUNDAY FOR THIS AREA...WITH
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS TO 35 MPH EXPECTED.

TO THE SOUTH OF THIS AREA...ROUGHLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM
DEMOPOLIS...TO CLANTON...TO ALEXANDER CITY...TO WEDOWEE...A LAKE
WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED BETWEEN 9 AM AND 6 PM SUNDAY.

MARINERS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA
SUNDAY. DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES WILL ALSO BE AFFECTED...
ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...ON EAST
TO WEST OR WEST TO EAST TRAVELS.


Take care outdoor today...

Bill

Just another record to add to the burgeoning list of marks established during the 2005 North Atlantic Hurricane Season: an all-time high for accumulate cyclone energy (ACE) in a single hurricane season. ACE is a statistic tracked by NOAA in order to more accurately gauge the overall intensity of a given hurricane season. It is calculated by adding the squares of the wind velocity in each tropical storm or hurricane at six hour intervals.

The median ACE measured during the period 1950-2000, according to NOAA, is 87.5. NOAA categorizes a hurricane season as above normal if the ACE value is over 103 A below normal season is one that has an ACE value below 66. A value of 153 or higher rates a season as hyperactive.

The 2005 hurricane season had a ACE value of 245! This beats out the extremely active hurricane season of 1950, which had an ACE value of 243 and most certainly ranks the season as hyperactive. The year that was previously regarded as the busiest Atlantic season on record, 1933, had an ACE of 213.

Interestingly, 2004’s Hurricane Ivan had an ACE of 70 all by itself. This is close to the all-time record ACE for a single storm. That mark belongs to the 1899 West Indies Hurricane that struck Puerto Rico.

The Saturday map discussion video is on the server at:

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

Chilly start to this bright Saturday morning with temperatures in the mid 20s at most locations. Interesting to note that it got to 23 at Mobile this morning while the low for Birmingham was only 28 at last check. Not too many times do you see it colder down on Mobile Bay than in Central Alabama.

But the big weather news for this weekend is the warm-up we expect to see with lots of sunshine today as temperatures climb into the 50s. Warm air advection with a southwesterly flow will bring even warmer weather to the area Sunday with temperatures rising well into the 60s.

GFS has continued to trend to a stronger, wetter system for the first of the upcoming week. This could be good news for parts of East Texas where they could use any rain with the extreme dryness and wildfire situation. A fairly strong upper level short wave deepens on Tuesday with the development of a low over Arkansas. So it would appear that we have a good chance of rain in the Tuesday and early Wednesday time frame.

That system slips by Wednesday with a slight cool down but a quick warm-up on Thursday and Friday before the next system brings another substantial shot of colder air with the GFS developing another deep trough over the eastern half of the country. So the progressive pattern of another system every couple of days seems to be with us through next weekend.

Beyond that into the really long range look, the GFS solution seems much more reasonable than it did yesterday with a deep trough on the 17th and a return to a more zonal pattern by the 20th. But I'm just speaking of trends and don't plan to take that to the bank just yet - that's a long way out.

Certainly hope you and your family have a great weekend to go along with the great weather.

-Brian-