Your Opinion Please

The following email was sent to ABC3340 meteorologist James Spann on ABC3340 during continuous tornado coverage on Friday 10-30-09

“Please tell James Spann to get off. He has been on for almost 30 minutes talking about weather that is not even here yet. God, we want to watch Oprah. PLEASE. Jerry Tracy comes on for a minute or two and then gets off. Who cares about football weather right now. He can talk about that at 5…………………………………………That’s why I don’t watch your station!!!!”

“It is utterly ridiculous that you cut into an entire program to go on and on about the weather whenever there is a storm as far away as an hour. I cannot be the only person who does not understand why you cannot come on, state what you need to say and then run a ticker tape of updates. But to talk the length of an entire show and then some makes no sense at all. People don’t care, regardless of your reasons, to sit and have to watch this stuff. Notify them and update them if it is necessary, otherwise allow the storm to move on and be done with it.”

“Is it THAT necessary for James Spann to interrupt Oprah Winfrey shows on a regular basis because of the ’severe weather’?? Spit it out! It doesn’t take 45 minutes to tell people where the severe weather is, and what it’s doing. A tornado hasn’t even been spotted!! I am extremely frustrated…”

Ah, the joys of long form tornado coverage. I look forward to the day when there is sufficient bandwidth and a nice TV interface so we can do it all on the Internet!


What do you think all opinions will be appreciated.
Here is Mine: I really think it is needed because not everyone has access to radar and internet especially in rural areas (like Walker County for example). You get in some parts of Walker County Like where I grew up in Townley There is no Tornado siren and no high speed internet, all we had was James Spanns severe weather coverage. Now I am a avid storm chaser and a SkyWarn spotter for the NWS offices in Huntsville and Birmingham as well. I have been doing this since 1998 and I personally have access to radar, storm tracks and etc. that James has but some people still do not. I now live in the Huntsville market and really like the fact that Waff does the same thing Brad Travis, Jeff Castle, and Remisha Shade do a wonderful thing just as James Spann does. I hope they keep it up and do not let emails like the one James received bother them at all. I personally would not mind if my favorite show was interrupted if it saved at least 1 life. Yes the storm may be 2 counties away but policy is to go live as long as a tornado warning is in effect for any county in the TV market. The station cannot choose to show the tv shows for the unwarned counties until they are then warned. I bet the first time that they did not go live and a tornado done damage to someones home that they loved then they would be like " WHY WAS JAMES NOT ON LIVE HE COULD HAVE HELPED" We need them to do this. What do you all think.

Colorado Snowstorm

I know that we have a threat of severe weather later this afternoon, but i wanted to post some of the snow totals from the Colorado area since this is the system responsible for the weather we are about to receive. Also in the photo is my Buddy Jason Laclair, his daughter baby Mac, and the family gaurd dog Taylor or as he is called Tay-Dog!! here are the totals.



Reports provided by volunteers for the National Weather Service and 9NEWS viewers

Final Snow Totals (reported 5:00 a.m. Thursday)

Bailey: 11.0"
Black Hawk: 34.0"
Castle Rock: 19.3"
Centennial: 17.0"
Conifer: 42.0"
Denver (Official): 14.2"
Erie: 17.5"
Evergreen: 40.0"
Fort Collins 18.5"
Greeley (UNC): 12.0"
Greenwood Springs: 16.0"
Highlands Ranch: 24.5"
Louviers: 23.0"
Pinecliff: 46.0"
Sterling: 7.0"

Expect Anything

Well it looks like a cool wet start to the Halloween weekend. The storm system that brought all the flooding and the tornadoes to Arkansas and Louisiana yesterday will slowly start heading in our direction. Although we do not have a defined risk area for severe weather for most of Alabama the SPC does have extreme west Alabama in a slight risk. The main threat for the entire area will be from high winds, but in Alabama expect the unexpected. It is warm here in Madison at 7:00am I have 66.6 degrees with a relative humidity at 75% and winds out of the SSW at 6.3mph with gusts up to 11mph.

Area Forecast Discussion for North Alabama

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
648 AM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

.UPDATE...FOR 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION
&&

.AVIATION...
LLWS WILL REMAIN A CONCERN FOR ANOTHER FEW HOURS BEFORE MIXING
INCREASES SURFACE GUSTS AND NOSE OF STRONGEST LLJ SHIFTS NORTH. CIGS
EAST OF FRONT ARE CURRENTLY AOB 2KFT...AND WHILE THESE WILL ADVECT
TOWARD MSL/HSV THIS MORNING...DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD LIFT THEM TO
AROUND 2.5KFT UNTIL LOWER CIGS/VIS ARRIVE JUST AHEAD OF
FRONT...ALONG WITH SCATTERED SHRA. WHILE SOME INSTABILITY IS
ASSOCIATED WITH FRONT...TS COVERAGE WILL REMAIN ISOLATED...SO HAVE
HANDLED THIS WITH A CB GROUP ATTM. SOUTH/SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL REMAIN
GUSTY THROUGH THE DAY...AND WINDSHIFT TO THE NW WILL ACCOMPANY THE
FROPA...ALONG WITH MVFR/IFR RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 430 AM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009/
ALL THE FORECAST CONCERNS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS ARE IN THE FIRST
36 HOURS AS A POTENT AND PATTERN-CHANGING STORM SYSTEM SLOWLY SWINGS
THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES. TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING ARE IN
THE UNSEASONABLY WARM MID TO UPPER 60S...EVEN NEAR 70 ALONG THE
AL/MS BORDER. THE MOST MOISTURE-RICH AIR IS STILL WEST OF THE BORDER
WITH 70-PLUS DEWPOINTS.

SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...
PCPN SHIELD...VIRTUALLY ALL ALONG/BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...WILL
STEADILY SPREAD EASTWARD TODAY. CURRENT TIMING BRINGS THE FRONT TO
PICKWICK DAM BY 4PM...THROUGH THE SHOALS BY 7PM...TO HUNTSVILLE BY
10PM...AND INTO GEORGIA BY 2 OR 3AM. FORECAST THINKING IS THAT A
DECAYING LINE OF TSTMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT AS IT MOVES IN...
AND THEREFORE WE COULD SEE STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. HIGHER RISK IS TO THE WEST OF THE
TENNESSEE VALLEY HOWEVER. MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...WITH
FCST SOUNDINGS SHOWING 50 MPH AT 3-4KFT.

THERE WILL ALSO ALMOST CERTAINLY BE A QUICK SHOT OF VERY HEAVY
RAIN...FOLLOWED BY LIGHT TO MODERATE STEADY RAIN FOR THE REST OF THE
NIGHT. THIS IS UNLIKELY TO BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING EXCEPT
PERHAPS ON A BRIEF AND ISOLATED BASIS. WORTH NOTING THOUGH THAT
PARTS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA DID GET OVER AN INCH OF RAIN YESTERDAY...
AND SO THE FLOOD THREAT SHOULD NOT BE DISCOUNTED IN THE WESTERN FOUR
NORTH ALABAMA COUNTIES. COMMUTERS IN THE SHOALS SHOULD BE ALERT THIS
AFTERNOON SINCE THE FRONT WILL BE COMING IN DURING THE AFTN RUSH.

BACKING UP TO TODAY...WINDS ARE ALREADY RATHER BREEZY AND WILL GET
MORESO AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT INCREASES BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO
THE EAST AND THE APPROACHING SYSTEM. WILL NOT ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY
WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE...BUT IT WILL BE VERY CLOSE TO ADVISORY
CRITERIA AND ONE MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY. AM ALMOST SURE WE WILL
REACH CRITERIA ON SOME OF THE RIDGETOPS...BUT THAT IS TOO ISOLATED
TO ISSUE AN ADVISORY. DRIVERS OF HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD USE
CAUTION...ESPECIALLY DRIVING OVER/ATOP MOUNTAINS TODAY.

GIVEN THE WARM START...HIGHS LOOK LIKELY TO RISE WELL INTO THE 70S
IN MOST AREAS...PERHAPS OVER 80...ESPECIALLY WEST. TEMPERATURES WILL
PLUMMET WITH THE FROPA...INTO THE MID 50S. THE SHOALS WILL PROBABLY
ALREADY BE CLOSE TO FORECAST LOWS BY SUNSET...AND THEN HOLD STEADY
WITH THE RAIN OVERNIGHT.

THE 00Z NAM WAS A HORRIBLE OUTLIER...AND THE 06Z NAM HAS COME BACK
IN LINE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE IN PUSHING THE RAIN OUT DURING THE DAY
ON SATURDAY. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THIS OCCURS...SOME TEMP
REBOUND COULD OCCUR...LETTING THE WEST HALF REACH 60 DEGREES. BUT
FOR MOST OF US...TEMPS WILL HOLD IN THE 50S ALL DAY.

THE STRONG UPPER LOW PUSHES THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT THE BULK OF
THE MOISTURE WILL BE GONE. PERHAPS THERE COULD BE SOME DRIZZLE BUT
EVEN THAT LOOKS DOUBTFUL. SLIGHTLY MORE LIKELY WOULD BE SOME LIGHT
OROGRAPHIC-INDUCED PRECIP IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES...SO WILL KEEP A
SLIGHT CHANCE DURING THE EVENING HOURS THERE. OTHERWISE...SKIES WILL
BE CLEARING AND LOWS WILL DROP INTO THE LOWER 40S.

EXTENDED (SUNDAY THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY)...
SOMEWHAT INCREDIBLY...THE ENTIRE EXTENDED FORECAST LOOKS DRY. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BE THE DOMINATING INFLUENCE FOR ALL OF NEXT WEEK...
EXCEPT FOR ONE OR TWO REINFORCING SHOTS OF COOLER AIR. ANY SFC
FEATURES THAT MOVE THROUGH WILL COME THROUGH WITH LITTLE MORE THAN A
FEW CLOUDS...AND NO RAIN. THE REINFORCING COOL AIR MASSES WILL ALLOW
BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS TO STAY PRETTY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR EARLY
NOVEMBER...WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S AND 40S.
&&

And the Word of the week is WET.

Well as everyone wakes to light rain this morning and with temps in the mid 50s let it be said, "I AM TIRED OF RAIN". Well the rest of today and tonight look to wet for any outdoor activities.We should warm up to near 60 degrees today and with no surface based instability the threat of severe weather to day is out of the question. The HPC has most of North Alabama painted for 2"-2 1/2" of rain for the next 5 days so it looks wet for high school football Friday night. Speaking of Friday it looks as if that could be a very active weather day for us. The SPC has a day four out look up that should be listed as a slight risk when the updated forecast models come out later tonight.It does not look as if this will be an event with large supercell storms but more of a Squall line that will push in late Friday
while the upper support will slowly weaken and lift north of Alabama,generally in the time frame from 5:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. Some forecast models are showing 80 degrees Thursday and Friday,that seems a little high maybe mid 70s, but if the sunn comes out it could happen and if it does that could fire a few storms during the day on Friday as well.

Cool Crisp Morning, Changes Coming

Good morning to all. I woke this morning to a nice crisp temperature of 34 degrees in Madison. Although the cool start we should warm nicely into the low 70s. But it will be short lived beauty this week as more rain is expected. The HPC has painted most of North Alabama for 2-2 1/2" of rain in the next 5 days. Monday should remain dry with a round of strong to severe storms on Tuesday. Shear levels look real impressive for Tuesday but the concern will be the instability, so as of right now the SPC does not have a formal risk area for Tuesday yey but it is something they are monitoring.If anything changes I will post them here and on Twitter/Facebook.

Nice and Cool Weekend Ahead

Well good morning to all on this 24th day of October. As we awake to overcast skies and a temp of 48.2 here in Madison the Barometric pressure is 29.89" dewpoint at 46F and the relative humidity is at 85% with winds out of the west at 5mph.Today promises to be just gorgeous although a little cool with the high slated to be near 57 degrees. enjoy the day and all the college football around as well. Kickoff at Bryant Denny as Alabama takes on Tennessee should be near 62 and down into the low to mid 50s by the 4th quarter. Down in Baton Rouge the Auburn Tigers will Takes on the Bengal Tigers of LSU with Kickoff temps near 65 degrees and into the mid to upper 40s by the 4th quarter. Good Luck to everyone and be safe.

Good Soaking

Well it looks like we are set up for another round of rain and storms starting later tonight and stretching into Friday night. While there is no formal severe weather risk for Alabama over the next 2 days(expect the unexpected) this is Alabama in the Fall. There is a slight risk just to our west for portions of Mississippi for today and it was not there late last night, so things can change quickly, but for right now it just looks like some heavy rain with thunder and lightning a possibility. Make sure to click the title for the BMX link to the Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day page for a look at some of Alabama's most memorable Fall tornado outbreaks. Such as the largest tornado outbreak in Alabama's recorded history occurred on November 24, 2001 as 34 tornadoes occurred during a 24-hour period.Yesterday was our Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day, but I just think this is always good info to remember. Just because it is getting cooler we cannot let our guard down. You got to love the deep south.

Freeze Warning

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT MONDAY...
Well has Old Man Winter arrived to stay for a while? It might feel like it but not really highs next week will be back in the mid 70s again until next weekend with another cold front and around of storms on Friday and then cooler weather for your Saturday and Sunday. I woke this morning with FROST on my windshield and temps at 35.3 degrees and light winds at 1.4mph. It should be a nice day with highs forecast around 55 or so and lows tonight near or below freezing. With those temps forecast the NWS in Huntsville has issued the following freeze warning for Monday morning.If you head out tonight bundle up. Until tomorrow.

.COLD HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TONIGHT
ALLOWING CALM WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES TO DEVELOP. AS A RESULT...
TEMPERATURES WILL FALL RAPIDLY AFTER SUNSET WITH MANY LOCATIONS
FALLING TO OR BELOW THE FREEZING MARK.

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-182100-
/O.NEW.KHUN.FZ.W.0003.091019T0600Z-091019T1400Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLORENCE...MUSCLE SHOALS...
RUSSELLVILLE...MOULTON...ATHENS...HUNTSVILLE...DECATUR...
GUNTERSVILLE...SCOTTSBORO...FORT PAYNE...CULLMAN...LYNCHBURG...
FAYETTEVILLE...WINCHESTER
325 AM CDT SUN OCT 18 2009

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT MONDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT MONDAY.

CALM WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO FALL TO OR
JUST BELOW FREEZING MONDAY MORNING ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORMALLY
COLDER VALLEYS AND RURAL LOCATIONS. WITH AMPLE GROUND MOISTURE IN
PLACE...FROST WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day

Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
As everyone knows November really begins Alabama's second severe weather season. Click the title for a look at some memorable fall sever weather events in North Alabama in recent years. Always stay weather aware when even a hint of bad weather is about.

Nice and Cool Weekend Ahead

Well it is getting that time, time to bring in or cover your plants. At least for this weekend anyway. Highs this weekend will be in the low to mid 50s both Saturday and Sunday, and lows in the low to mid 30s on Sunday and Monday with the chance of some of the sheltered valleys may reach freezing. Just do not get to use to those temps as they will be on the rise again next week, with low to mid 70s the first part of the week.

Some Clearing Today.

Well it has turned out to be a very pleasant day in North Alabama. The sun has come out at times and has warmed up nice. The official Huntsville temp right now is 73 degrees. I have to thermometers at my home one mounted out back and it is reading 71 degrees(in the shade) and the other is mounted on my truck with my anemometer and it is reading 79.3 (in the sun) winds are light and variable at 0.07mph gusting up to 2.1mph. Well on to tomorrow the SPC has painted the lower 2/3 of Alabama with a 5% chance of a severe storm they my up that to a slight risk in the morning we will wait and see. tomorrow looks wet in places I do not think it will rain all day but keep the rain gear handy as well as anyway to monitor the weather just in case. Be prepared for so very cold weather this weekend as some places might see a light frost on Sunday morning but light winds may keep it from happening but temps will be in the upper 30s and low 40s, then on Monday is when some places might see 32 degrees for the first time since last February into March. Make sure to click the title for the AccuWeather.com winter outlook. it looks very cold and wet for the South East could see some white stuff this winter.

2009 Killer Tornadoes In The US.

Well we are in a lull between systems today but more rain (and a lot of it) is on the way for late tonight thru Thursday when a cold front drops in bringing the coldest air since last February March time frame. The HPC has forecast nearly 3 1/2" of rain from Tuesday to Thursday for much of north Alabama. We had the first Tornado related fatality since May 13th 2009. It occurred in Washington County Mississippi on Friday October 9th. Click the title above for a complete list of all Killer tornadoes this year,10 all together.

Break In The Rain

Well we are experiencing a small break in the rain here in North Alabama(see radar image) but I am sure it will be short lived. While tomorrow was forecast to be fairly dry that does not seem to be the picture now. A warm front to our south will slowly lift northward overnight tonight and tomorrow increasing our rain chances, the bulk of the rain will increase tomorrow night and into Wednesday and more strong to severe storms should be here on Thursday. The SPC does not have any formal risk areas forecast for the next 5 days it all will depend on surface feature placement, along with instability and shear. The greatest concern will be for additional flash flooding. The HPC does still forecast 4 plus inches over the next 5 days. If severe weather does break out I will be in the field with a live stream here http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tommy-self. Until Tomorrow.

Rain Drops Keep Fallin On My Head

Well if wonders never cease it looks like we are in for another wet week. The HPC is painting nearly 7.0" over the next 5 days from Birmingham up to northern Georgia. and nearly 5.5+" for north Alabama. 120 Hour Precipitation Total - Days 1-5 Valid 10/12 thru 10/17

October 9, 2009 EF-1 Tornado in Fayetteville

Preliminary Storm Survey Information
Storm surveys have been completed examining storm damage that occurred in Lincoln County, Tennessee during the afternoon hours of Friday, October 9th. Information found in these surveys is described below. All tornado ratings are using the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Lincoln County
Rating EF-1 Peak Wind 100 mph
Path Length 3.2 miles Peak Path Width 200 yards
Fatalities 0 Injuries 1

A tornado touched down just south of Fayetteville, Tennessee around 4 PM Friday, October 9, and tracked east before lifting shortly beyond Timber Lake. The most extensive damage occurred around the Timber Lake Community between Diemer Road and Timberlake Trail. Numerous large trees were uprooted, and some were snapped at the base, with roof and minor structural damage to a residence along Timberlake Drive. One person sustained a minor injury as the tornado crossed over their home.

Additional uprooted and snapped trees were seen along Eldad and Grisham Roads east of Timber Lake, but the damage became less extensive between Grisham and Chenault Ford Roads.



This National Weather Service radar image from 4:00pm indicates rotation over the city of Fayetteville as the tornado was moving across the southern portion of the city. The base reflectivity product in the left panel shows rainfall intensity. This particular image shows a Bounded Weak Echo Region (or BWER) over the city of Fayetteville. BWERs are often indicative of strong rotation within a thunderstorm, as precipitation is wrapped around the thunderstorm's mesocyclone. This signature matches well with the wind shear found in the storm relative velocity product in the right panel, which shows winds toward (in green) and away (in red) from the radar at Hytop, AL. Click image to enlarge.
This National Weather Service radar image from 4:00pm indicates rotation over the city of Fayetteville as the tornado was moving across the southern portion of the city. The base reflectivity product in the left panel shows rainfall intensity. This particular image shows a Bounded Weak Echo Region (or BWER) over the city of Fayetteville. BWERs are often indicative of strong rotation within a thunderstorm, as precipitation is wrapped around the thunderstorm's mesocyclone. This signature matches well with the wind shear found in the storm relative velocity product in the right panel, which shows winds toward (in green) and away (in red) from the radar at Hytop, AL. Click image to enlarge.


Strong winds in association with the storm unroofed this building at the Goodman Plant.
Strong winds in association with the storm unroofed this building at the Goodman Plant. Click image to enlarge. The tornado caused shingle and siding damage at this home on the south side of Fayetteville. A large glass window was shattered, and several trees were downed, some of which caused additional structural damage.
The tornado caused shingle and siding damage at this home on the south side of Fayetteville. A large glass window was shattered, and several trees were downed, some of which caused additional structural damage. Click image to enlarge.
The tornado snapped both of these trees.
The tornado snapped both of these trees. Click image to enlarge. These trees were uprooted by the tornado, and were left laying on top of each other.
These trees were uprooted by the tornado, and were left laying on top of each other. Click image to enlarge.

Rough Day In Alabama

Well as with any storms that blow through the state we had our fair share of warnings today, both Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm. There was some damage reported across north Alabama as the line pushed east I took these shots in Trinity in Morgan county and recorded a wind gust of 54.3 mph and with in minutes was hearing of trees on top of homes in the Decatur area. Another storm that had a tornado warning with it in Marshall and Jackson Counties in Alabama had a peak BTI ( Baron Tornado Index) of 7.4 I could not catch up with this one as I was coming from Western Madison County.The temps have cooled off nicely after the rain. I had a high of 85F and now it is 67F and not hardly any rain in my gauge, just 0.25" Maybe we can dry out for awhile but I doubt it.

Active Weather Ahead

Well all the ingredients are coming together for a good chance of showers and storms later today and tonight.The SPC has now placed a larger part of Alabama under a severe weather risk for tonight; Anyone in the Tennessee Valley as well as central Alabama could see a few strong to severe storms tonight. The primary risk will come from damaging straight line winds from bowing segments within the line of storms there is a low end tornado risk at 2%. We note instability values this morning to 500 j/kg already as far north as Nashville, and those values will rise steadily as the air warms today.The NWS in Huntsville has issued a flash flood watch for all counties in their warning area rain amounts of 1 to 2 inches are likely, with heaver amounts with the heavier storms. The above rainfall graph is valid until next Thursday.

Severe Potential Tomorrow Night?????

Well the SPC has placed parts of North West Alabama in a slight risk for severe storms for late tomorrow night. That does not mean that we are in for a major severe weather out break. The air will be unstable enough to support a few severe storms depending on how much sun we get tomorrow as high temps are forecast to be in the mid 80s. It does look like the main line will come in after the high school football games are over. But keep the rain gear handy because storms are expected anytime, but the squall line will be in here after midnight.

More Rain.

Well there is a real good chance for strong storms and alot of rain for much of North Alabama on Friday night. With that in place a few schools have moved their football games to tonight. We are not expecting a major severe weather outbreak but that does not mean there will not be a few severe warnings issued, with the highs on Friday pushing near record warmth anything is possible. You must remember this is Alabama Fall tornado season and never let your guard down, like on late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning when a tornado warning was issued for Lawrence Co for a storm near Moulton. The HPC is predicting around 2" of rain be the end of the day on Saturday, so once again Rain, Rain, and more Rain.

Severe Potential Tonight

Well the SPC has now included areas from Madison County to the west including all of the Shoals in a slight risk area for tonight. Most of the area has a 5% tornado probability and it looks as if most all the action will be coming in after dark so have you NOAA Weather Radio handy if you do not have one keep an eye on local television. With this being a night event I will not be in the field. There is one thing I will never do and that is chase after dark.

Weird Weather This Week

Well after a cool start with a Low of 54 degrees here in Madison and 0.96" of rain falling last night, it looks to be a cloudy mess all day today with a high in the upper 60s to low 70s. The rest of the week looks complicated as the HPC is forecasting another 2 1/2" of rain in the next 5 days and with Tuesday looking a little warmer and drier with Highs in the mid 70s and then Wednesday a surface boundary approaches, and the day looks rather wet with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will not be a all day rain so plan accordingly. Then on Thursday will be dry for the most part and Friday Summer like warmth returns with highs in the mid 80s and rain developing by late in the day on Friday. And now to be the bearer of bad news. The weekend looks wet both days as a front moves in and stalls so be prepared if you venture out to a college or to a pee wee football games on Saturday and as you head out to church on Sunday. Me myself from all I have seen from future long range forecast guidance we may be in for a very cold winter this season. but that is all voodoo for now.

Rain Rain Go Away.

Well Once again old Mother Nature is throwing water balloons at us. October is by far our driest month on average for the year, but it looks like the first week will be extremely wet. The HPC (Hydrometeorological Prediction Center)is forecasting alot of rain for us again over the next 5 days as you can see from the chart. At least we are not in the plains they are looking at 4 1/2" plus out there. Here in north and central Alabama rainfall for the next 48 hours is likely to produce amounts of 1 to 2 inches. While some spots will get heavier rain, this could be a relatively even distribution of rain. Another round of rain on Wednesday will add to these totals.

And The Rain Returns

Well for everyone that is tired of the rain please do not shoot the messenger. The HPC is forecasting between 2 and 3 inches of rain on Sunday. Me myself I am tired of all the rain. As a storm chaser yes I do look forward to storms coming in, but this is no fun at all just watching it rain. My lawn is so over watered it is not funny. I had nearly 0.40" of rain this morning. Well at least we are having some nice temps for now. Have a great weekend it is going to be great for High School and College football tonight and on Saturday.

Friday Storms??

Well it looks as if I may not get to break in my new equipment just yet. The instability levels for severe storms here in North Alabama on Friday are not going to be real impressive. With just low end 5 percent probabilities over South Alabama there is no formal severe weather risk defined by SPC. It also looks as if the main line should be pushing into the Huntsville Metro early in the morning between 6-9am. Some area could get anywhere from 1/2" to 1" of rain with the heavier pockets of storms. But this is Alabama so anything is possible with storms. Now Football weather I will be at the Auburn/Tennessee game at Neyland Stadium Saturday evening so here is the forecast for this game (6:45 p.m. kickoff), the sky should be mostly fair with a kickoff temperature of 65 degrees, dropping into the 50s by the end of the game