Alabama thread!

Morning guys.

 

From AlabamaWX

CLOUDS RETURN TODAY: Temperatures are below freezing across most of Alabama early this morning with a fair sky. Clouds increase today ahead of a disturbance that will bring some light rain to the state late this afternoon, tonight, and tomorrow. It is possible a few ice pellets could be mixed in with the rain as it initially falls, but if that happens there will be no impact. The most widespread rain will be over the southern half of the state… the high today will be in the upper 40s, followed by mid 40s tomorrow.

Wednesday will be a dry day with a mix of sun and clouds; temperatures reach the mid 50s, not far from average values for late December. Clouds return on Thursday, and some rain will develop during the day.

CHRISTMAS COLD WAVE: A bitterly cold, Arctic airmass will invade the Deep South Thursday night, and will persist through the Christmas weekend. Here are some important points…

*There is a chance rain could briefly change to sleet or snow before ending late Thursday night and early Friday morning. This is a “cold air chasing the moisture” setup, which rarely produces meaningful snow accumulation here. So, yes, we might see a few snow flakes over North Alabama, but with no accumulation. Major travel impact is not expected, but if there is any standing water left from the rain Friday morning there could be a few icy spots. Strong north winds will help dry the roads very quickly, however.



*The focus needs to be on the cold air. The wind chill index will drop into the -5 to -15 degree range Friday morning over the northern half of Alabama, with single digit wind chills down to the coast. In terms of air temperature, the coldest morning will come early Saturday with a low in the 7-14 degree range.

*Much of North/Central Alabama will go around 75 consecutive hours with sub-freezing temperatures… from early Friday morning until late morning, Monday December 26.

*The Arctic airmass Saturday and Sunday will be very dry; the sky will be mostly sunny over the weekend.

*Cold waves like this are a serious threat to people with no adequate heating source. Check on the elderly. Be very, very careful with space heaters. Plan on bringing your pets indoors. Exposed pipes will need to be wrapped with insulation. Learn how to shut off water valves for potential pipe bursts.



*From a historical perspective, the last time temperatures reached the single digits in Birmingham during the month of December was in 1989… we dropped to 1 degree on December 23 during the peak of the cold wave. We have achieved single lows during the month of December in eight years since 1900; in 1901, 1917, 1925, 1926, 1962, 1981, 1983, and 1989. We might not reach the single digits this year, but it will be a very close call.

*This will be the coldest air in Alabama since January 2, 2018; Birmingham dropped to 11 degrees during that cold wave.

NEXT WEEK: The week looks generally dry with a warming trend… See the daily Weather Briefing video for maps, graphics, and more details.



ON THIS DATE IN 2009: Snowfall totals from 1 to 2 feet were commonplace in what will go down as one of the biggest snowstorms in history on the East Coast and the first of four snowstorms for the Mid-Atlantic during the winter of 2009-10. The 15 inches of snow measured at Reagan International Airport on Dec. 19th was the third-highest daily snowfall on any calendar day at Washington, DC, since snowfall records began in 1884. The total storm snowfall of 16.4 inches on Dec 18-19 2009 marks the 6th highest two-day snowfall record for Washington, DC putting it just below the second President’s Day storm in 2003 and ahead of the Jan 1996 storm.

 

Good morning y’all

 

Morning fellas back to the grind

 

Morning Hayden

Morning Mike.

Morning Bret.

Morning Brian.

 

Had a blast at little River canyon camping with my wife and @Nic S ! Was cold! Got to test out my new CVT work light as well! Came in clutch!

 

It was cold but still a good time

 

Good afternoon guys

 

Out here riding 600-1 today. Stopped for lunch, dude from the Netherlands randomly popped out from a trail and said he was hiking to Georgia. Interesting

 

yea there's a trail that goes all the way over there haha. Id never do it but it can be done.

 

Its the Pinhoti trail, My father in law has done it start to finish over a year or so with one of his buddies. I have thought about it but just can't get into it.


http://www.pinhotitrailalliance.org/home..html

 

I used to be big into backpacking. The Pinhoti has been on my list for years, I just can't seem to get enough money saved up to take the time away from work. I did the first two sections with a buddy a little over three years years ago. We had aspirations of section hiking it by doing a few sections over multiple weekends or holiday breaks, but we both got married between then and now and haven't been back out since.

 

Thats the way my FIL did it. He used to run 100 mile marathons though lol. He did a Triathlon at 56.

 

And I can confirm, 600-2 is closed

 

Yep been all over facebook for the last 2 months now lol, should be able to enter from other side though. Forest service might make a work around.

 

I’ve gotten to hike a bunch of the Pinhoti. One day maybe I’ll get to all of it.

They had the Pinhoti 100 back in November I think. Heflin to Sylacauga in 31 hours. I volunteered for a couple of aid stations.

 

Good morning.

 

From AlabamaWX

RADAR CHECK: We have areas of light rain across most of Alabama early this morning with temperatures generally in the low 40s. Expect some light rain at times through the day with a cloudy sky… temperatures hold in the 42-46 degree range. Then, tomorrow will be a dry day with a mix of sun and clouds; temperatures reach the low to mid 50s.

The sky becomes cloudy Thursday, and some light rain is possible by mid to late afternoon.

ARCTIC BLAST: A brutally cold airmass will roll into Alabama Thursday night. Here are important notes…

*After the light rain Thursday evening, snow flurries are likely over North Alabama after midnight Thursday night/early Friday morning, but meaningful accumulation is not expected. It is a “cold air chasing the moisture” setup which rarely produces any significant accumulation here; best chance of seeing snow in the ground is along and north of I-40 (Little Rock to Nashville).



*Temperatures will drop into the 5-12 degree range Friday morning across North/Central Alabama, with a wind chill index as low as -15F. The wind chill index will stay below zero most of the day Friday.



*Strong north winds of 12-25 mph will dry roads quickly, and major travel issues are not expected. But, where water is still standing, a few icy spots could develop Friday morning. Be careful if you are driving Friday.

*Once we go below freezing during the pre-dawn hours Friday, for many places it will be Monday December 26 before temperatures climb over 32 degrees for many communities across North Alabama… be ready for over 72 consecutive hours of sub-freezing weather.

*For Alabama, this will be the coldest airmass since 2018, but the most prolonged Arctic outbreak since at least 2014. It is the coldest December airmass sine 1989. This is a very significant and life threatening Arctic outbreak for the state. This is due to potential impacts on infrastructure such as burst pipes.

*Check on the elderly and those that might not have adequate heating. Hypothermia risk is a big concern.

*Alternative heat sources like space heaters need to be used safety; we always hear of disastrous home and business fires during cold waves like this. Carbon monoxide poisoning is also a concern.

*If you have pets or farm animals, make sure they have plenty of food and water, and are not overly exposed to extreme cold. Take precautions to ensure your water pipes do not freeze. Know the temperature thresholds of your plants and crops.

*For those driving, fill up the tank: Make sure your car or vehicle has at least a half a tank of gas during extreme cold situations so that you can stay warm if you become stranded.

NEXT WEEK: The weather looks generally dry through the week with a warming trend… temperatures will approach 60 degrees by Friday December 30. See the daily Weather Briefing video for maps, graphics, and more details.



ON THIS DATE IN 1836: A famous “sudden freeze” occurred in central Illinois. A cold front with 70 mph winds swept through around Noon, dropping the temperature from 40 degrees to near zero in a matter of minutes. Many settlers froze to death. Folklore told of chickens frozen in their tracks and men frozen to saddles. Ice in streams reportedly froze to six inches in a few hours.

ON THIS DATE IN 1984: Lili, a rare December hurricane, was officially declared a tropical system in the central Atlantic as a distinct eye type feature was apparent on satellite imagery. The hurricane peaked at sustained 80 mph winds and a pressure of 980 millibars or 28.94 inches of mercury, a very respectable Category 1 Hurricane in December.

 

Good morning Mike.

 

Morning guys.