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Turning Warmer Tomorrow; Rain Later This Week

James Spann | January 30, 2017 @ 3:28 pm

BLUE SKY AND SUNSHINE: A lovely late January day across Alabama. With sunshine in full supply, temperatures are mostly in the upper 50s… a few spots in West Alabama have reached 60 degrees. The sky will stay clear tonight, and it won’t be as cold as last night with temperatures holding well above freezing in most places.

WARMER TOMORROW: Expect a high well up in the 60s tomorrow and Wednesday as we enjoy a two day warm-up…. some communities in West Alabama will reach the low 70s. Tomorrow will be another mostly sunny day, but clouds will begin to increase Wednesday with the approach of a cold front.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: The cold front will bring the risk of a few showers to the state on these two days; nothing especially heavy or widespread, however. The high Thursday will be in the 58-62 degree range, and then back in the 50s for most places on Friday. Many places over the northern quarter of the state could hold in the 40s Friday afternoon on the north side of the nearly stationary front.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The sky will remain mostly cloudy through the weekend; a few showers are possible, but most of the rain comes Sunday with another cold front passing through with good upper support. No severe weather is expected, and there probably won’t be too much thunder. Rain amounts on Sunday should be around 1/2″, with isolated heavier totals.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look cool and dry with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s, right at seasonal levels for early February. Then, rain is very possible by mid-week on Wednesday with a surface low rolling northeast out of the Gulf of Mexico. Colder air follows toward the end of the week, but still no sign of any extremely cold, Arctic air for the next 10 days. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

As always, watch me for the full weather story on ABC 33/40 News this evening at 4, 5, 6, and 10:00!

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. We have moved this week’s show to tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 8:30 CT.

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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow…

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A Beautiful & Cool Midday For Today, A Much Warmer Day on Tuesday

Scott Martin | January 30, 2017 @ 11:42 am

It’s a beautiful but cool day out there across Central Alabama at this midday hour. On the visible satellite, there is not a cloud over any part of the state. There may be a few small clouds out there, but they are too small to show up on the satellite. The nearest shower activity to the state is located in the southern part of the Florida Peninsula just ahead of a surface front.

The sun will be out in full force this afternoon, but temperatures will remain on the cool side even though highs will be a couple of degrees above normal. Afternoon highs will be in the mid 50s to the lower 60s across Central Alabama. A beautiful starlit sky will shine brightly over the area for tonight through the overnight hours. Lows will drop to the lower to mid 40s. A few colder spots will drop down into the 30s.

Temperatures Across Central Alabama
At 11:35 AM, temperatures are ranging from the lower 50s to the lower 60s across the area. The warm spot is currently Montgomery at 61 degrees. The cool spot is Haleyville at 50 degrees.

Birmingham’s Climatology And Records
The normal high for January 30th is 54, while the normal low is 33. The record high for today was set back in 1950 at 78 degrees. The record low was set back in 1966 at -4 degrees.

A Sunny And Warmer Day For Tuesday
With a surface ridge in place over the southeastern U.S., skies will be mainly sunny and temperatures will be around 10-15 degrees above normal. Afternoon highs on both days will be in the mid to upper 60s for much of the area, with a few locations making it to 70. Overnight lows will be in the 40s.

For Those Headed To The Beach
What a great week on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico from Fort Morgan over to Panama City Beach. Plenty of sunshine in the forecast from today through Friday. Highs will be in the 60s to lower 70s. Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

National Extremes
The warmest high temperature set for the nation on Sunday afternoon was 83 degrees, set in Santa Ana, California. The coldest low temperature for Sunday night and into this morning was -18 degrees, set in Gunnison, Colorado. The highest rainfall total for the 24 hour period starting at 11AM Sunday night to 11AM today was 1.90 inches at Augusta, Georgia.

On This Day In Weather History: 1977
The great “Buffalo Blizzard” finally abated after three days. The storm added a foot of new snow to 33 inches already on the ground. Winds gusting to 75 mph reduced visibilities to near zero, produced snow drifts twenty-five feet high, and kept wind chill readings 50 degrees below zero. The blizzard paralyzed the city, and caused 250 million dollars damage.

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WeatherBrains
To hear the latest of the weekly netcast that’s all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists at ABC 33/40, you can listen anytime on the web at Weatherbrains.com, or on iTunes.

Forecaster: Scott Martin (Twitter: @scottmartinwx)

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The Rest of the Story: Alabama’s Coldest Morning on this Date in 1966

Bill Murray | January 30, 2017 @ 10:00 am

Early on the morning of Friday, January 28, 1966, cold high pressure covered Alabama and the Deep South. The morning low at Birmingham was 22F. The low the previous morning had been 16F. The month had turned very cold after a warm start. The 70F reading on January 2nd was but a distant memory as lows had not gone above freezing since the 15th and daily temperatures consistently ran ten degrees or more below average for the latter half of the month.

Arctic high pressure was centered over Canada and was coming south. The Arctic front was knocking on the door of North Alabama on the morning of the 28th. But the stubborn high over the Southeast only allowed the front to make progress to about I-20 and that night, low pressure along the Texas coast began to move east.

Just before midnight on Friday night, a chilly rain began falling in Birmingham, where the temperature was 41F. At the same time, it was snowing heavily in Little Rock with 18 degrees and moderately in Nashville, where it was 16F. It was sleeting at Shreveport with a temperature of 28F.

The chilly rain gradually changed to sleet and then to heavy snow across North and Central Alabama on Saturday morning, fulfilling the predictions of weather forecasters. Snow piled up during the day on Saturday as temperatures plunged and northwesterly winds howled. Roads were icy north of Clanton.

Ten inches of snow was on the ground at Florence, with ten inches at Tupelo, MS. Other reports included:

…11 inches at Moulton
…8 inches at Hamilton, Scottsboro, Cullman and Red Bay
…7 inches at Guntersville, Double Springs and Russellville
…6 inches at Jasper, Falkville and Albertville.

There was 7.3 inches on the ground in Huntsville and 8 inches at New Market in Madison County. That snowcover would be critical to an important record that would fall early the next morning.

Skies cleared by afternoon, putting an end to the snow. The temperature didn’t stop falling until it registered a low of 2F at Birmingham just before midnight. The state’s all time cold reading before that morning was -18F at Valley Head, measured on February 14, 1905.

It was thought to be an unassailable record. But as the readings came in from observers that bitterly cold morning, the eyes popped out of the heads of Weather Bureau forecasters.

Readings included:

-17F in Haleyville
-12F at Redstone Arsenal
-11F in Muscle Shoals and Valley Head.

In the Birmingham area, it was -4F at the Airport, -5F in Pinson and -2F in Bessemer. But in the warmer spots, there was still a light breeze blowing, or it would have certainly been even colder. Places where the wind was calm, the mercury had been able to reach unthinkable levels.

The reading of -24F at Russellville in was reported in the news media as the coldest place in the United States that morning. How many times have you ever seen Alabama has the nation’s coldest reading?

But the observation from New Market would be misreported as -17F. It actually was -27F, a fact that would not come to light for several years. I will let Dr. John Christy, the Alabama State Climatologist, take over the story in his excellent piece on Alabama’s all time record cold, shown to the left. Now you know the rest of the story.

The cold reached all the way into Florida, where citrus crops were damaged. The Birmingham News warned that the price of orange would be going up.

In South Alabama, readings included:

…9F in Fairhope and Bay Minette
…13F in Mobile
…14F at Fort Morgan
…5F at Montgomery and Selma.

It was 0F as far south as Clanton.

Mississippi also recorded their state all time record low on this date with -19F at Corinth.

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Rain Returns Later This Week

James Spann | January 30, 2017 @ 5:20 am

CHILLY MORNING: Temperatures are generally in the 26-31 degree range across Alabama early this morning with a clear sky; we project a high today in the mid to upper 50s with a good supply of sunshine.

TOMORROW/WEDNESDAY: The weather will turn warmer on these two days; the sky will be partly to mostly sunny with a high between 65 and 70 degrees. Dry air means no chance of rain.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: We will introduce the chance of showers Thursday with a cold front moving in from the north; moisture will be limited and rain amounts will be light. We turn cooler with a high in the 50s. The front will hang up somewhere over Central Alabama Thursday night, and the chance of rain will continue into Friday. Some places north of Birmingham will likely hold in the 40s Friday.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Clouds will persist, and with a new system to the west approaching, the chance of rain will continue. We will mention a chance of showers Saturday, but it certainly won’t rain all day; the high will be in the 50s. Then, on Sunday, rain will become more widespread as a cold front moves in with good upper support. No severe weather, and probably not much thunder. The high Sunday will remain in the 50s. Rain amounts between Thursday and Sunday should be in the 1/2 to 1 inch range.

NEXT WEEK: Cool, dry weather is likely Monday and Tuesday, but the GFS is advertising a pretty decent rain event by Wednesday or Thursday with a very deep upper trough over the region. Still no sign of any winter storms or severe thunderstorm events for the next 10-15 days.

See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

ON THIS DATE IN 1966: Birmingham’s low was 4 degrees below zero as we were in the midst of a severe “cold wave”. And, that morning, Lucille Hereford, Postmistress and volunteer weather observer in New Market, in Madison County, recorded 27 degrees below zero, which to this day is the coldest temperature on record in the state of Alabama. But, just a little over a week later, the high in Birmingham on February 9, 1966 was a balmy 72 degrees. Another reminder it doesn’t “get cold and stay cold” in Alabama.

As always, watch me for the full weather story on ABC 33/40 News this evening at 4, 5, 6, and 10:00!

WEATHER BRAINS: Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90 minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists here at ABC 33/40. We will produce this week’s show tonight at 8:30p CT… you can watch it live here.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

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Look for the next Weather Xtreme video here by 4:00 this afternoon… enjoy the day!

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1/29/1936: Birmingham’s Second Biggest Snowfall

Bill Murray | January 29, 2017 @ 1:30 pm

Click to enlarge weather map from January 30, 1936

On January 18, 1936, a swarm of tornadoes ripped across parts of Alabama. Four people died as an F2 tornado passed from near Fyffe to near Rainsville in DeKalb County, killing four people. Another twister touched down near Columbiana. One person died from a tornado in Dale County.

The activity was ahead of a powerful cold front. It would be followed by a a ten day siege of winter weather that would be remembered for decades across Alabama.

Headlines on Sunday, January 26th noted that the upper Midwest was bracing for a brutal assault of frigid air. Photos of cars abandoned in snowdrifts in Birmingham’s industrial sister city of Pittsburgh dominated the front page of the “South’s Greatest Newspaper, the Birmingham News….” Light snows fell across parts of North Alabama that night.

The News from January 27th warned that the local Weather Bureau forecaster was calling for lows of 2F to 8F that night in the Magic City.

On Tuesday, January 28, 1936, dramatic headlines reported that four children had died in Birmingham the night before from suffocating in their cribs under heavy blankets. There was a serious coal shortage, and the local fire chief also warned about the danger of house fires. The morning low in Birmingham was actually 13F.

The U.S. Weather Bureau weather map for the morning of Wednesday, January 29, 1936 showed a low pressure system over the western Gulf of Mexico. A large shield of precipitation was spreading up into the cold air ahead of the low. Snow began falling in Birmingham at 7:46 a.m.

The afternoon edition of The News said that the local weatherman called for it to continue through the night. It did, and did not end until 720 a.m. on Thursday.

At 7 a.m. CST on Thursday, it was 26F in Birmingham with a strong northerly wind and eleven inches of snow on the ground. It would be the city’s greatest snowfall until the March Blizzard of 1993 in the Magic City. Snow fell as far south as Brweton.

Other amounts across the state: Tuscaloosa 8 inches; Montgomery 3/4 of an inch; Gadsden 9 inches; Huntsville 9 inches; Decatur 7 inches; Anniston 10 inches and Selma 1 inch. Under the deep snow cover and clear skies, the mercury would fall to –4F at Birmingham the following morning.

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Sunday Late Morning Update: A Little Light Rain Over Areas North and East of Birmingham

Bill Murray | January 29, 2017 @ 11:34 am

An upper level disturbance pushing into Alabama from the northwest is triggering some patches of very light rain over Northeast Alabama in areas north and east of Birmingham.

No first order reporting stations are seeing any rain at this hour, but there was one MPING report of some light snow south of Florence around 10:30 a.m. And the Radarscope precipitation type algorithms were showing the potential for some light mixed precip over Northeast Alabama about that same time, but temperatures have warmed even more since then and the chance of seeing anything other than rain is practically nil.

MPING reports from citizen scientists across the south at around 10:30 this morning, when there was a single solitary report of snow south of Florence.

There will be some clearing across North Alabama before colder air aloft associated with the disturbance brings instability and some stratocumulus clouds across that area. Clearing will spread across the rest of Central Alabama during the afternoon.

Skies are mostly cloudy north of US-278 with partly cloudy skies to about Montgomery, where clouds really start thinning out the further south you go with totally sunny skies over South Alabama. Highs will be in the upper 40s over NOrth Alabama today, with lower 50s in the I-20 Corridor and upper 50s the further south that you go.

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Weather Xtreme Video for Sunday, January 29th

Bill Murray | January 29, 2017 @ 6:00 am

It’s my pleasure to sit in again for Brian this morning as he is at a storytelling festival.

JANUARY NUMBERS: We’re starting to wind down January, so I thought we will take a sneak peek at how January is turning out from a climatological standpoint.

Projecting out to the end of the month with our forecasts, we will finish with an average high of 60.2, which is 6.4 degrees above the mean maximum temperature. The average low will end up around 43.9F, which is 10.1 degrees above the mean. The average temperature for the month will end up at 52.1F, which is 8.3F degrees above the 30 year average.

Here is the 30 day temperature series for Birmingham.

We will finish the month with 6.71 inches of rain, which is 1.87 inches above the 30 year average.

Here is the 30 day precipitation series for Birmingham.

We have dented the drought recently, as evidenced by the 90 day precipitation series.

But we still have a long way to go, as evidenced by the 365 day precipitation series for Birmingham. But we certainly haven’t made up as much ground as we would have liked.

And I don’t really have good news. The WPC 7 day precipitation forecast shows zero rain for Central Alabama. And the longer range look from the GFS is not hopeful.

We will be lucky to squeeze out 1-1.25 inches of rain over the next 16 days.

Let’s break it down:

SUNDAY SHORTWAVE: An upper level disturbance is poised to spread across Alabama today, but it has almost nothing to work with in the way of moisture. Precipitable water values this morning are less than 0ne half inch, which is is not all that unusual for late January, but still too low to get excited about. You will notice an increase in cloudiness however, which will help temperatures stay 3-4 degrees less than those of yesterday, topping out between 48-55 degrees. Coldest northeast of course, and warmest around Demopolis. The I-20 Corridor should average between 50-53. Look for overnight lows to drop to near or just below freezing with decreasing cloudiness.

MONDAY STILL COOL: The upper level trough will still be pumping cold air into Alabama on Monday, keeping highs around 50-52F.

MIDWEEK MODERATION: You will start to notice moderation on Tuesday, as highs return to the lower 60s. 60s will be commonplace into the weekend.

END OF THE WEEK FRONT: A stubborn subtropical ridge of high pressure off the Southeast will grudgingly give way enough for a cold front to approach the area on Friday. As it approaches, it could trigger a few showers Friday evening across Central Alabama. But the lack of moisture should limit rain chances again and we will be lucky to get measurable rain at all. We could reach the upper 60s by Friday. That’s not bad at all!

SECOND PUSH: The front will get a little impetus from a passing shortwave by later in the day on Saturday, and by then, moisture levels will be higher as the ridge breaks down. The GFS is bullish on a solution that gives increasing chances of a soaking rain starting late Saturday afternoon and continuing through Sunday night. We will keep our fingers crossed. Temperatures will be trending down however after the front moves through, with 50s expected Sunday. Lows will be in the 40s from Wednesday through Sunday.

VOODOO COUNTRY: Two systems the week of February 6th will bring more wet weather, but it appears mainly to the south of us. Can’t get too excited about that, yet.

BIRMINGHAM’S SECOND BIGGEST SNOW: Snow started at 7:46 a.m. on Wednesday morning, January 29, 1936. 24 hours later, eleven inches of the white stuff would be on the ground. It would be the Magic City’s greatest snowfall until 1993. More about the 1936 snow in a special weather history post later today.

WEATHERBRAINS: Fascinating conversation with Tim Marshall last week. Check out the show at www.WeatherBrains.com. You can listen to the audio podcast on iTunes.

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Sun-Filled Saturday

Ryan Stinnett | January 28, 2017 @ 3:26 pm

Most of us are enjoying a day with a mainly sunny sky, and temperatures are in the lower 50s for most of us as well. It is another breezy day a times, which makes it feel cooler, but overall not a bad final Saturday of January.

COLD TONIGHT: Clouds will slowly increase after midnight, but overall it will be another night with many of seeing temperatures at or just above freezing, which is pretty close to seasonal values. Below is one model output of 6AM temps across Alabama, this is on the hour, most of the time the lowest temperatures occur between the hours. Nevertheless, you will certainly need the heavy jackets if heading out and about tonight, or early tomorrow morning.

MORE CLOUDS TOMORROW: An upper-level shortwave will work across the state tomorrow and that will allow for more clouds tomorrow, but rain is not expected across Central Alabama. There could be a few sprinkles across Northeast Alabama, but not much other than that. It will be another chilly day with highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s.

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Saturday Weather Xtreme Video and Discussion for January 28th

Bill Murray | January 28, 2017 @ 6:00 am

It is a chilly morning out there across Central Alabama as a piece of the big high pressure over the western United States gives us tranquil conditions for late January. Temperatures are in the upper 20s to lower 30s at most reporting locations. Lots of high clouds are streaming across the southern half of the area, in association with the polar jet stream, which is taking a little time along the Gulf Coast, probably looking to see where all of its snowbirds went.

It will be cool today with a mix of clouds and sun south and a good supply of sunshine north. Highs will generally be in the lower and middle 50s, although a few places may struggle to reach 50. A large, broad trough covers much of the United States, giving us the cool airmass.

A passing system increase clouds a bit on Sunday afternoon over the northern half of the state, but any precipitation should stay just to our northeast. Highs on Sunday will be a degree or two cooler than those of today.

Some moderation is in store for the new work week. After highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s Monday, things will warm back toward the lower 60s through the middle of the week. We could see some small rain chances Thursday night into Friday with better rain chances by Sunday as a stronger system moves in.

Rainfall amounts over the next 7 days will be generally zero across Central Alabama and two week totals don’t look like they will be much better than one half inch. Not good news for areas that are struggling to emerge from drought conditions completely.

WEATHERBRAINS: Check out this week’s interview with famous wind engineer and storm chaser Tim Marshall. He joined us after speaking to the local chapter of the National Weather Association last Tuesday evening. Go to iTunes or WeatherBrains.com to listen to watch.

I will be back tomorrow with the Sunday Weather Xtreme Video. Have a great Saturday and God Bless!

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Afternoon Weather Xtreme for 1/27: Cool Days, Cold Nights, Remaining Dry

James Spann | January 27, 2017 @ 3:08 pm

THIS AFTERNOON: A band of mid to high levels clouds is over parts of Central Alabama this afternoon, but the low levels are still dry, and there is no rain on radar.

Temperatures are only in the 40s; the average high today for Birmingham is 54. Tonight will be cold again with most communities dropping into the 28-32 degree range by daybreak tomorrow.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A calm pattern continues. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the low 50s. Clouds will increase a bit Sunday, but the air stays dry and we won’t mention any chance of significant rain, although some drizzle is possible over the northeast tip of the state. The high Sunday will be between 48 and 53 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: A very benign pattern for Alabama. Partly to mostly sunny days, fair nights through the week with temperatures not far from average for late January and early February. Highs in the 50s Monday, and close to 60 Tuesday through Friday. Lows in the 30s and 40s. No sign of any high impact weather event for Alabama for the next ten days.

See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

As always, watch me for the full weather story on ABC 33/40 News this evening at 4, 5, 6, and 10:00!

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks…

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I enjoyed seeing the Jubilee Academy home school group this morning in Irondale… be looking for them on the Pepsi KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News! My next Weather Xtreme video will be posted here Monday morning by 7:00… Brian Peters will have the video updates tomorrow and Sunday. Enjoy the weekend!

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Today in Weather History 1/27/1940: A Cold Alabama Weather Story

Bill Murray | January 27, 2017 @ 1:00 pm

Our beloved mentor, colleague and weather rock star J.B. Elliott was the master of the weather story. His pen was a clacking teletype machine. He would turn in his tape punch for a computer and work with us after a 32 year career at the National Weather Service. For another 25 years, he would regale our audience with his weather wisdom and down home stories about his beloved dog, Miss Molly. Before he left the NWS, he wrote one of his trademark weather statements. He would share that statement with the AlabamaWX audience on January 27, 2009.

I have a ton of material in my filing cabinet from my 32-year career in the U.S. Weather Bureau (later National Weather Service) all at the Birmingham office. Thought you might enjoy (and get cooled off!) by this special statement that I wrote for the NWS/Alabama Weather Wire on January 27, 1989.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
545 AM CST FRI JAN 27 1989

A COLD WEATHER STORY IN A WARM JANUARY

Alabama is experiencing a very warm January, in some areas the warmest January in the last 14 years. The bitter cold seems to be elsewhere. (Yesterday, it was 75 below zero at Cold Foot, a small town in Northern Alaska!)

So, it is time for a cold weather story about Alabama…

Forty nine years ago this morning, January 27, 1940…Alabama was locked in a severe cold wave (I love the term, “Cold Wave” but it is no longer in use. The north half of the state was under a heavy blanket of snow.

The snow came on the 23rd and 24th. There was more than a foot in parts of North Alabama. One inch fell as far south as Montgomery.

Bitter, bitter cold followed the snow.

At Birmingham Airport, the temperature dropped to 10 below zero on the morning of January 26 and 8 below on the 27th. The city was covered with 7 inches of snow. There was ice skating on the Black Warrior River at Birmingport with ice on the river four inches thick. The ice was seven inches thick on creeks running into the river!

The Cullman area was very hard hit by the unusually severe winter storm. Over a 13-inch blanket of snow the Cullman temperature plunged to a bitter 16 below zero.

Anniston was buried under an 11-inch blanket of snow.

Some examples of snow depths and low temperatures during that bitter January, 1940 winter storm:

Decatur…3 below zero, 10 inches of snow
Anniston…3 below zero, 11 inches of snow
Cullman…16 below zero, 13 inches of snow
Talladega…5 below zero, 8 inches of snow
Tuscaloosa…2 below zero, 5 inches of snow
Greensboro…2 above zero, 3 inches of snow
Montgomery…10 above zero, 1 inch of snow

All of this makes the 76 degree high in Montgomery and Mobile yesterday seem even nicer. (That would have been for January 26, 1989.)

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Mostly Sunny Skies And Cool Out There Across Central Alabama At Midday

Scott Martin | January 27, 2017 @ 12:35 pm

At the midday hour across Central Alabama, it’s a mix of sun and clouds out there, with rather cool temperatures and a little bit of a breeze at times. Winds are currently averaging around 12-18 MPH out of the west-northwest, and this will make it feel even cooler than what it is at this point. For the rest of the day, skies will be partly cloudy to mostly clear across Central Alabama. Winds will be averaging from 10-15 MPH throughout the rest of the afternoon, and will be slowing as the night approaches. Afternoon highs will be in the mid 40s to the lower 50s across the area. During the late night and overnight hours, skies will be mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lows will be in the upper 20s to the lower 30s.

Temperatures Across Central Alabama
At 12:23 PM, temperatures are ranging from the lower 40s to the lower 50s across the area. The warm spot is currently Eufaula at 52 degrees. The cool spots are Haleyville and Cullman at 41 degrees.

Birmingham’s Climatology And Records
The normal high for January 27th is 54, while the normal low is 33. The record high for today was set back in 1944 at 76 degrees. The record low was set back in 1940 at 1 degrees.

Colder Air Arrives on Thursday
It will be a pretty nice, but cool day across Central Alabama for the first day of the weekend. Skies will be mostly clear to sunny, and afternoon highs will be in the lower to mid 50s across Central Alabama from north to south. Skies will be mostly clear for much of the area during the evening and overnight hours, with a few extra clouds for the extreme northern locations. Lows will dip down in the lower to mid 30s.

For Those Who Are Beach Bound
Plenty of sunshine in the forecast from today through Thursday of next week. Highs will be in the 50s for today through Monday, then warming into the 60s for Tuesday through Thursday. Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page.

On This Day In Weather History: 1772
The “Washington and Jefferson Snowstorm” occurred. George Washington reported three feet of snow at Mount Vernon, and Thomas Jefferson recorded about three feet at Monticello.

Follow The Blog On Social Media
Remember that we are also on Facebook and on Twitter.

WeatherBrains
This week’s episode featured the famed speaker and storm chaser, Tim Marshall. What a great show it was. To see the latest of the weekly netcast that’s all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including our meteorologists at ABC 33/40. You can listen anytime on the web at Weatherbrains.com, or on iTunes.

Forecaster: Scott Martin (Twitter: @scottmartinwx)