Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
Issued by NWS Birmingham, AL
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374 FXUS64 KBMX 232343 AFDBMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Birmingham AL 543 PM CST Sat Nov 23 2024 ...New SHORT TERM, AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Sunday) Issued at 535 PM CST SAT NOV 23 2024 Broad northwesterly flow aloft remains in place across the East, and this coincides with surface high pressure centered across the Deep South this evening. The air mass remains very dry, and a quick decline in temperatures is forecast tonight. Lows in the 30s are expected with freezing temperatures across most of the northern counties. Frost and Freeze headlines remain in place through early tomorrow morning. Otherwise, a light southerly breeze is expected tomorrow afternoon as the surface ridge progresses east. This will favor a rebound in afternoon temperatures with highs in the 60s, to near 70 south and southwest. 40/Sizemore && .LONG TERM... (Sunday night through Friday) Issued at 304 PM CST SAT NOV 23 2024 This update focused on targets of opportunity centered around the NBM being too low with temperatures in the warm sector Monday night and again on Wednesday into Wednesday night. NBM PoPs are also too high Thursday night with the storm system expected to move out quicker than NBM indicates. Otherwise, the early morning long-term discussion still applies. 87/Grantham Previous long-term discussion: (Sunday night through next Friday) Issued at 342 AM CST SAT NOV 23 2024 Key Messages: - An unstable environment could materialize through Thanksgiving Day with a decent warm sector and plenty of shear. If current guidance trends hold, strong to severe storms may need to be added to the forecast. At the very least, Thanksgiving Day is expected to be wet and stormy for many locations. - Sharply colder temperatures are expected by Friday and into next weekend. A progressive weather pattern is expected during the period with two systems expected to impact the Deep South. A very nice warm-up is expected on Monday with southwesterly surface flow and mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. Highs should top out in the low to mid 70s before a cold front moves in from the northwest Monday night through Tuesday morning. The front will be weakening as it moves to the south and east with the parent surface low well off to the northeast over eastern Canada. Still, at least scattered to numerous showers will develop as the front moves into the CWA along and north of the I-20 corridor through Sunrise Tuesday morning. Showers should diminish fairly quickly through the day, with only a slight chance for a shower lingering across the I-85 corridor through midday. With the front now expected to completely clear the area, cooler and drier air will filter in behind the front Tuesday night with temperatures expected to range from the mid 30s north to the lower 40s south by sunrise Wednesday. A potent upper level shortwave originating from the significant storm system currently over the Pacific Northwest will quickly dive southeastward into the southern Plains by Wednesday evening. At the same time, a surface low is expected to develop over the ArkLaTex early Thursday morning, with a warm front lifting northward over the Deep South. Strong westerly to southwesterly flow aloft and southerly flow at the surface will lead to the development of widespread rains and embedded storms over much of the Southeast on Thanksgiving Day. With guidance starting to come into better agreement with the overall synoptic setup, rain chances have been increased into the likely category and will most certainly increase further if trends continue. We could see some heavy rainfall, especially along and north of the I-20 corridor. In addition, we`ll have to watch for the potential of a warm sector developing Thursday afternoon and into Thursday evening as the surface low moves across the Tennessee River Valley. With plenty of wind shear aloft, the potential of strong to severe storms across the southern half of the CWA may be in the cards. We`ll see if guidance trends continue with this solution, so stay tuned. The cold front will quickly sweep across the region early Friday morning, with much colder and drier air moving into the Deep South. Highs only in the 40s and 50s are currently advertised by Friday as a semi-arctic airmass is poised to move across much of the eastern CONUS. 56/GDG && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 535 PM CST SAT NOV 23 2024 VFR TAFs are advertised for this period. Only a few cirrus clouds are out there currently, and this will continue through tomorrow. Winds will favor a southerly direction tomorrow afternoon at 4-7 kts. Note: there are prescribed burns near KASN resulting in MVFR obs due to smoke. 40/Sizemore && .FIRE WEATHER... Rain-free weather is expected through Monday afternoon, followed by a pair of fronts with rain Monday night/Tuesday morning and Thursday. Afternoon minimum RHs are forecast to be above critical thresholds. Southerly 20-foot winds should range from 5 to 8 mph on Sunday. 20-foot winds are expected to increase to 8 to 14 mph on Monday from the southwest. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Gadsden 30 65 42 74 / 0 0 0 0 Anniston 35 67 46 75 / 0 0 0 0 Birmingham 37 67 50 75 / 0 0 0 0 Tuscaloosa 35 69 49 76 / 0 0 0 0 Calera 36 68 49 75 / 0 0 0 0 Auburn 38 66 47 74 / 0 0 0 0 Montgomery 35 70 48 78 / 0 0 0 0 Troy 35 69 47 76 / 0 0 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Freeze Warning from 3 AM to 8 AM CST Sunday for the following counties: Blount-Calhoun-Cherokee-Clay-Cleburne-Etowah-Fayette- Lamar-Marion-Randolph-St. Clair-Talladega-Walker-Winston. Frost Advisory from 3 AM to 8 AM CST Sunday for the following counties: Autauga-Barbour-Bibb-Bullock-Chambers-Chilton-Coosa- Dallas-Elmore-Greene-Hale-Jefferson-Lee-Lowndes-Macon-Marengo- Montgomery-Perry-Pickens-Pike-Russell-Shelby-Sumter-Tallapoosa- Tuscaloosa. && $$ SHORT TERM...40/Sizemore LONG TERM....87/Grantham AVIATION...40/Sizemore