EXTENDED STREAK OF COLD TEMPERATURES STARTS FRIDAY… We have a round of storms and a cold front separating us from about a week of COLD temperatures across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Mild temperatures will persist tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thanksgiving Day Thursday with highs expected to be in the 70s. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible on Thursday ahead of an advancing cold front that will move through Thursday afternoon. Sharply colder air arrives Thursday evening into Friday. High temperatures Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will only be in the 50s locally. The map attached highlights what may be the coldest temperatures of this cold snap on Sunday night into Monday morning when a widespread freeze is expected.
TOMORROW IS THE TIME TO GET READY FOR THIS EXTENDED COLD SNAP… Not only do we have Thanksgiving on Thursday, we also are looking at a potential for rain and thunderstorms in the area. That means tomorrow (Wednesday) is probably the best time to prepare for this extended streak of cold weather. There will be multiple nights with near or below freezing temperatures. This means outdoor pipes should be protected, sensitive plants should be brought inside, and all outdoor pets should be heated or brought inside. Chances are increasing that some communities, particularly north of US84, may have subfreezing temperatures for at least 5 or 6 consecutive nights.
LOW-END SEVERE WEATHER RISK ON THANKSGIVING DAY… The Storm Prediction Center has included all of south Alabama and northwest Florida in their low-end, Level 1 (out of 5) severe weather risk zone valid for tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day Thursday). This means widespread, significant severe storms are not expected but one or two briefly severe storms cannot completely be ruled out. Any storms that become strong tomorrow will be capable of producing gusty winds and perhaps a brief tornado or two. The overall tornado risk remains quite low.
SEVERE WEATHER TIMING – THANKSGIVING DAY… IF any severe storms happen across the local area, 1PM to 9PM is the main eight hour window for severe weather. Most communities across the region will simply have a chance of a few scattered showers and thunderstorms with the vast majority of the thunderstorms remaining well below severe limits, most likely.
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!
I will have another detailed update in the next regularly scheduled RedZone Weather forecast video that will be posted by 7:15AM tomorrow morning. Have a nice Tuesday evening!