For what it's worth (not much!), most models today have trended much drier with no snow or ice for the local area next week. Could it snow? Yes. But don't get your hopes up yet. No reliable consistency in the data to support REALISTIC chances of snow/ice.
— Spinks Megginson (@rzweather) January 15, 2025
Models are FICKLE and change at the drop of a hat. I choose not to post every, single model run for data that is 1+ week out. The data changes SO much.
People are screaming, "SNOW
," yet there is a very real chance we simply see cold and dry conditions next week.
— Spinks Megginson (@rzweather) January 15, 2025
We're continuing to keep an eye on whether or not we'll get any wintry precipitation next week. It's certainly going to be cold enough, but what isn't certain is whether or not there will be any precipitation. It will depend on whether a low pressure area develops in the Gulf. pic.twitter.com/zAfHChQUag
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) January 15, 2025
The most unusually cold air in the Northern Hemisphere will descend into the United States from this weekend into next week.
A lobe of the polar vortex -like a jellyfish tentacle- will sting the country with dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills. pic.twitter.com/2VYRDAuvAl
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 15, 2025
RAIN & A FEW STORMS POSSIBLE SATURDAY… Rain becomes likely on Saturday ahead of an advancing cold front. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible, specifically in areas near the coast, but the overall severe weather risk will probably remain quite limited due to the lack of surface instability across much of the area.
MOSTLY CLOUDY WEDNESDAY; RAIN THIS WEEKEND; RUMORS OF SNOW & ICE NEXT WEEK… Skies will become increasingly cloudy as we move toward the end of the day on this Wednesday. High temperatures will be ever so slightly more mild than yesterday with most spots reaching the upper 50s by 3PM. Overnight lows will again be below freezing across inland areas with mid to upper 30s likely closer to the coast by 6AM tomorrow. Rain becomes possible Friday evening ahead of a chance of heavier rain at times on Saturday ahead of the passage of a cold front. Very cold air arrives Sunday into Monday that will persist into next week. There is a chance that some wintry mischief may become possible toward the middle part of next week but details are FAR from certain at this point.
ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS NEAR COAST EARLY TOMORROW MORNING… Rain chances remain low, but not entirely zero, tomorrow during the morning hours. We will be tracking an area of low pressure that will pass well to our south tomorrow. This feature may fling in just enough moisture to cause a few widely scattered showers tomorrow morning (2AM to 8AM time frame locally across coastal Alabama and northwest Florida).
RAIN AT TIMES FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY… Scattered showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms will become possible Friday night into Saturday as a cold front approaches our region from the northwest. Widespread severe storms continue to seem unlikely as surface-based instability values are expected to be quite limited. This means that we may hear some thunder at times Saturday but no tornadoes or damaging wind gusts are expected at this time. Temperatures on Friday and Saturday will top out in the 60s in the afternoon hours. No snow or mixed precipitation is expected during the Friday/Saturday time frame.
VERY COLD AIR FILTERS IN SUNDAY; HIGHS ONLY IN 40s NEXT WEEK… Cold air surges into the region Saturday night into Sunday behind the advancing cold front. There is a chance temperatures “go the wrong way” all day on Sunday with afternoon temperatures potentially in the 40s or near 50°. High temperatures on Monday will only be in the low 40s in many spots. Overnight lows will be in the low 20s for multiple nights during the upcoming week.
RUMORS OF SNOW/ICE STORM BUT NO CONCLUSIVE DATA FOR A FEW DAYS… I have seen countless images of deterministic model scenarios showing the potential for snow and/or a major ice storm across parts of the Deep South next week. Let me be very clear in saying snow/mixed precipitation/rain is POSSIBLE next week. What we simply do not know (and NO one knows, at this point) is if we will see any snow or ice accumulation next week or if we simply will have rain. There are MANY different scenarios that could come to fruition. Could it snow? Yes. But there are *plenty* of other scenarios that would mean our area would simply have a cold rain toward the end of next week. My best advice at this stage: Don’t buy into the hype that a lot of accounts post on social media, including some television meteorologists, that simply are pushing information to gain clicks and likes. A lot of these folks know better than to post deterministic outcomes 7-8 days out, but they choose to push the information anyway because they know it will drum up engagement for their social platforms. We don’t do that around here. We stick to facts and posting good, reliable information.
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 Wednesday morning RedZone Weather forecast video. Have a good day!
RAIN POSSIBLE EARLY TOMORROW MORNING, BRIEFLY… Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 50s by 3PM. Cloud coverage will likely increase throughout the day.
Not expecting rain TODAY but we could have a few showers, particularly closer to the coast, early Thursday morning. Most locales will likely remain dry.
