BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Happy Monday! It is also Groundhog Day! Birmingham Jill saw her shadow yesterday indicating six more weeks of winter. Regardless of what an animal predicts, I can promise you winter is not over. It is a very cold start to the day with temperatures in the low to mid 20s. A few locations are starting out in the upper teens. The First Alert Weather Day continues this morning. If you’ve been dripping your faucets over the weekend to prevent your pipes from freezing over, you’ll be able to stop dripping the faucet at 9 a.m. CST as temperatures climb into the mid 30s. We are looking at plenty of sunshine today with highs in the lower 50s. Winds are forecast to come in from the southwest at 5-10 mph. If you have any evening plans, we will end up with a mostly clear sky with temperatures cooling into the lower 40s by 7 p.m. CST. Cloud cover will slowly increase tonight ahead of our next rain maker. Plan for temperatures to cool into the low to mid 30s Tuesday morning with dry conditions.
Next Big Thing: Our chance to see rain will likely occur Tuesday afternoon and evening. We’ll remain dry Monday morning with a mostly cloudy sky. Temperatures will likely start out in the 30s. Southwest winds will pick up to 10-15 mph tomorrow afternoon allowing us to warm into the upper 50s and lower 60s. We will likely remain cloudy at lunchtime with a few showers developing in northwest Alabama. The greatest coverage for rainy weather will likely occur between 3 p.m. CST – Midnight Tuesday. Most of the rain will be steady, but we could see a few pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall. The evening drive could be messy, so use caution if you plan to be on the roads during this time period. We could end up with a quarter of an inch to three quarters of an inch of rainfall through early Wednesday morning. Most of the rain will move out of our area early Wednesday morning.
Cooler temperatures Wednesday: Get ready for cooler temperatures by the middle part of the week. Rain should be out of here, but we will be left with a mostly cloudy sky for most of the day as northwest winds bring us cooler temperatures. Plan for dry conditions Wednesday afternoon with a mostly cloudy sky. Our high temperature Wednesday could occur during the morning hours with temperatures in the upper 40s. Temperatures will likely cool into the low to mid 40s Wednesday afternoon with breezy conditions. Plan for freezing temperatures to return Thursday morning as lows drop into the mid 20s.
Dry finish to the week: We’ll likely remain dry as we finish out the first full week of February. Thursday is looking partly cloudy and chilly with highs in the mid 40s. We’ll drop back into the mid and upper 20s Friday morning, but we should warm into the upper 50s and lower 60s Friday afternoon with plenty of sunshine. Another weak cold front is forecast to move into Alabama Friday night, which could provide us with slightly cooler temperatures Saturday afternoon. Plan for low 30s Saturday morning with highs in the low to mid 50s. Long-range models are hinting at warmer temperatures next week with highs in the 60s and maybe even some 70s! Overnight lows could remain above freezing with temperatures in the 40s. I see no signs of bitter cold across Alabama over the next seven to ten days…