http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
As fog and low clouds clear, we should see a sunny day, but there is enough instability in the atmosphere today that we may also see some isolated showers and perhaps a thundershower much like we saw yesterday afternoon across portions of Blount, St. Clair, Talladega, Clay, and Calhoun counties. Temperatures are expected to push 80 degrees with many places into the lower 80s.
Another active weather day is in store for the Central US. While only one tornado was reported yesterday and last night, there were over 50 reports of damaging wind including several in the 80 to 100 mph range along with over 120 reports of hail, some to baseball size.
SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has also placed a large portion of the Southeast US in their 4 to 8 day severe thunderstorm outlook. The current model data suggests the most likely time for severe thunderstorms will be Friday and into Friday night. This is still a long way out, so we'll be keeping an eye on the situation to see how it changes as we approach the latter half of the week.
A cold front comes through Alabama Monday. Central Alabama should see some clearing late in the day as temperatures remain warm with highs getting into mid and upper 70s.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will see dry weather, but with a large high pressure system settling in over the Southeast, we expect to see some chilly morning lows on Wednesday. We could see lows in the upper 30s in Central Alabama. But as is frequently the case during the spring, the cold spell will be short-lived with lows recovering quickly by Thursday morning.
Another front is forecast to enter the state early Friday and move briskly through our area. There is a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms. If the GFS is correct on this timing, the next weekend should be dry.
I had the pleasure of going to the Virginia Samford Theater last night to see "Sand Mountain Saturday Nite." It is a musical comedy inspired by real life events from the Sand Mountain area of northeast Alabama. The music and comedy were absolutely superb. It's also a treat to see some of the heritage of the Sand Mountain preserved in a play written by Norton Dill. The musical versatility of the performers was clearly evident as many played several instruments throughout the production. If you get a chance, go see this play.
I certainly hope you have a relaxing Sunday. Remember, daylight savings time started at 2 am this morning, so be sure those clocks were set forward an hour. Have a great week - and God bless.
-Brian-