FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY; COLD TEMPS PREVAIL UNTIL THURSDAY… Temperatures have nosedived in many spots this morning now that a strong cold front has moved across our area. A cold, miserable rain continues in many spots across our region this morning. Rain will move out by midday, but cold temperatures are here to stay! Most spots won’t get out of the 40s today. Coupled with a brisk wind out of the northwest, wind chill values may not get out of the 30s. Today is slated to be one of the coldest days of 2019 with one of our coldest nights ahead. The National Weather Service continues a Freeze Warning for all of our local counties as multiple hours of temperatures below freezing are expected. Let’s look at your forecast details.
RAIN EXITS TO THE EAST BY MIDDAY… The cold rain in progress across the region will exit to our east late this morning into the early afternoon hours. We note that snow/ice/mixed precipitation is not expected with this event as the coldest air is set to invade our area later today long after the rain ends.
FREEZING TEMPERATURES FOR SEVERAL HOURS OVERNIGHT… Much of Alabama and northwest Florida remains under a Freeze Warning from 6PM tonight through 9AM on Wednesday. I expect temperatures to be at or below the 32 degree mark from approximately midnight to 7AM, meaning 6-7 hours of subfreezing temperatures. While the thermometer will show values between 25-29° for overnight lows on Wednesday morning, the “feels like” wind chill temperature will likely be below 20 degrees in many spots across the region due to the ongoing northwest wind. VERY cold night ahead!
BE SURE TO CHECK ON PEOPLE, PETS, PLANTS, AND PIPES BEFORE TONIGHT… We strongly encourage everyone to check on the “4 P’s” – elderly PEOPLE that may not have good heating sources, outside PETS that may need to be brought inside, outdoor PLANTS that may need to be covered, and exposed PIPES that could burst due to multiple hours below freezing temperatures. Some folks also include the “5th p” of “practicing fire safety,” as space heater fires are common in the cold season months.
MOSTLY SUNNY WEDNESDAY… It will certainly be nice to see the sunny skies on Wednesday after a miserably cold, dreary Tuesday. Skies will likely clear out early Wednesday morning, meaning much of the daytime hours on Wednesday will likely be sunny. High temperatures will be in the low-50s.
QUITE COLD WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY… Temperatures won’t be AS cold, but they’ll still be below freezing in many spots Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Overnight lows will be around the 30 degree mark in many spots with wind chill values in the 25-28° range as the northwest wind will have dissipated somewhat.
DREARY THURSDAY WITH RAIN POSSIBLE LATE… Unfortunately, clouds make a quick return Thursday morning ahead of a few rain showers becoming possible late in the day on Thursday. Rain chances will be highest across our coastal counties and especially near the immediate beach zones. High temperatures on Thursday will again be in the 50s.
SUNNY WEEKEND; MODERATING TEMPERATURES… If there is one consolation prize from the cold temperatures we’re going through now, it’s that we have a nice, sunny weekend to look forward to with temperatures that will likely rise into the 60s in the afternoon hours. Plenty of sunshine is expected on Saturday and on Sunday.
APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!
See all the details in your Tuesday #rzw forecast video… Enjoy your day!