FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE BUT LESS LIKELY; HARD FREEZE (LOW-20S) SUNDAY MORNING… The chances of sleet and freezing rain happening Friday morning across south Alabama and northwest Florida have lessened somewhat since previous forecast updates. The latest model guidance shows much of the rain and precipitation on Friday morning remaining offshore in the northern Gulf. This scenario has the potential to largely mitigate any freezing rain/icing issues across the local area, IF it verifies. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Baldwin, Mobile, and Escambia (FL) counties due to some light rain showers being possible Friday morning that could lead to bridges having ice issues. Regardless of where you specifically are across our local area tomorrow morning, please take it slow and allow extra time for travel tomorrow morning! A few more Thursday afternoon forecast notes are below.
BRIEF WINDOW FOR FREEZING RAIN FRIDAY MORNING… Forecast confidence has been and continues to be LOW regarding the potential for freezing rain and sleet happening across parts of our area Friday morning. The latest high resolution weather model guidance shows most (if not all) of the rain and precipitation remaining to our south over the northern Gulf of Mexico on Friday morning. IF this scenario happened, it would mean most communities would probably not have any significant ice/sleet accumulation issues. The concern now is that a few light rain showers may happen Friday morning that could cause ice accumulation problems on bridges and overpasses. That is why a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued (more info below) for 3 local counties.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR 3 LOCAL COUNTIES… The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Mobile, Baldwin, and Escambia (FL) counties. From NWS MOB: “While still uncertain, there is the potential for light freezing rain overnight tonight into Friday morning. It is possible most rainfall remains over the northern Gulf of Mexico, but any light showers over the advisory area will allow for a light glaze of ice accumulations on elevated surfaces, overpasses, and bridges. Some increased albeit moderate confidence in this scenario has necessitated the issuance of a Winter Weather Advisory.”
HARD FREEZE LIKELY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING… Perhaps the most impactful weather hazard over the next 72 hours will be the potential for a hard freeze across much of the region on Saturday night into Sunday. Temperatures will dip well into the 20s by late Saturday night. Some spots, especially communities north of U.S. Highway 84, will be around 20 degrees by Sunday morning at 6AM. That is the air temperature, not the wind chill. The wind chill values will be even lower (mid-10s possible). Please remember to bring outside pets inside during the bitter cold nights that are ahead.
APP… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have more updates posted throughout the day and into the night, as needed, in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Thursday evening!