ALL CLEAR: TORNADO RISK ENDS; GUSTY WINDS USHERING IN COLD TEMPS… The tornado risk has come to an end across all parts of south Alabama and northwest Florida in areas west of Opp, Crestview, and Destin. Strong winds will continue to be a concern long after rain comes to an end later this morning. The National Weather Service maintains a Wind Advisory for the entire local area as 20-30 mph winds will be possible now that the cold front has passed. Wind gusts as high as 35 to 40 mph may be possible at times this afternoon. Winds should finally subside later this evening. A few more notes from our morning discussion are below.
VERY COLD AIR MOVING IN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT… We had our technical high temperature just after midnight (60s). Now that the cold front is pushing southeast across our region, temperatures are expected to gradually fall throughout the day and continue falling tonight through daybreak tomorrow morning. Temperatures this afternoon around 2PM will be in the 40s in many spots. The brisk northwest wind will cause the air temperature to feel quite a bit colder than it actually is. Keep those thick coats and jackets handy today!
TEMPS BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT FOR SANTA… Tonight is Night 1 of 3 consecutive nights with temperatures at or below the freezing mark. Most spots will dip into the mid- to upper-20s by daybreak on Christmas morning. Wind chill values will be in the low-20s. Santa Claus will feel right at home in this Arctic air mass in place over our region! We are forecasting a lot of joy tomorrow morning, especially for the kids waking up to find what Santa has delivered.
QUITE COLD TOMORROW ON CHRISTMAS DAY… High temperatures will struggle to get out of the mid-40s on Christmas Day Friday despite full sunshine throughout the day. This is set to be our coldest Christmas Day since 1995 when we had a low temperature in the mid-20s.
HARD FREEZE CHRISTMAS NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING… Near hard freeze conditions are expected on Friday night into Saturday morning with 10-12 hours of subfreezing temperatures possible across the interior communities of southwest Alabama. If you haven’t been practicing “freeze safety,” (wrapping outdoor, exposed pipes, bringing in outside pets and plants, and checking on people who may not have adequate heating sources) NOW is the time to do those things. Friday night into Saturday morning will be the coldest night we have had in quite some time.
APP… Be sure to download our free RedZone Weather app if you haven’t done so already. redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the app for your iOS or Android device. Once you have the app downloaded, be sure to visit the Alerts tab in the lower right corner of the app to select the specific notifications you would like to receive straight from me.
Have a nice Christmas Eve and stay warm!