Monday, November 20, 2023

Looking a Little Stormy Tonight, Colder and Drier Air Returns by Thanksgiving

Tonight (Low 59): Rainy and windy. Thunderstorms are also possible, and some may become severe. 

Tomorrow (High 67): Rainy and windy. Rain could be heavy at times.

Wednesday (High 50, Low 42): Decreasing clouds with a lingering shower possible in the morning. Becoming partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. 

Thanksgiving (High 56, Low 33): Mostly cloudy and cold. Isolated showers are possible in the evening and night hours. 

Black Friday (High 55, Low 43): Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers - 90% chance of crazed shoppers and whacko drivers. 

Iron Bowl Saturday (High 56, Low 41): Partly cloudy with a 50% chance of being around really-pissed-off football fans. 

Sunday (High 55, Low 37): Mostly sunny. 

Monday (High 54, Low 35): Mostly sunny. 

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Rain and Storms Monday Night and Tuesday, Then Sunny and Cold for Thanksgiving

(Forecast)

Sunday (High 66, Low 35): Sunny. Cold in the morning, cool the rest of the day. 

Monday (High 69, Low 44): Breezy with increasing clouds and isolated showers possible during the day. Rain is likely at night, with a few thunderstorms possible - and a few storms could even become severe. 

Tuesday (High 67, Low 55): Rain likely. Thunderstorms possible - and a few could reach severe limits.

(Extended Outlook)

Wednesday (High 53, Low 43): Partly to mostly sunny.

Thanksgiving (High 54, Low 37): Sunny with dead-but-yummy turkeys likely in many homes. 

Black Friday (High 55, Low 38): Mostly sunny but with shopping and travel conditions possibly becoming severe anyhow. 

Saturday (High 60, Low 39): Partly to mostly sunny with a 20% chance of showers.

(Pronóstico)

Domingo (Máxima 66, Mínima 35): Soleado. Frío por la mañana, fresco el resto del día.

Lunes (Máxima 69, Mínima 44): Ventoso con nubes crecientes y posibles lluvias aisladas durante el día. Es probable que llueva por la noche, con algunas tormentas eléctricas posibles, y algunas tormentas incluso podrían volverse severas.

Martes (Máxima 67, Mínima 55): lluvia probable. Es posible que se produzcan tormentas, y algunas podrían alcanzar límites severos.

(Perspectiva Extendida)

Miércoles (Máxima 53, Mínima 43): Parcialmente a mayormente soleado.

Acción de Gracias (Máxima 54, Mínima 37): Soleado con pavos muertos pero deliciosos probablemente en muchos hogares.

Viernes Negro (Máxima 55, Mínima 38): Mayormente soleado, pero las condiciones para las compras y los viajes posiblemente se vuelvan severas de todos modos.

Sábado (Máxima 60, Mínima 39): Parcialmente a mayormente soleado con un 20% de probabilidad de lluvias.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Sunny and Cool Weekend/Showers and Storms Starting New Workweek

Saturday (High 65, Low 53): Becoming mostly sunny. Cool.

Sunday (High 66, Low 35): Sunny and cool. Cold in the morning. 

Monday (High 69, Low 45): Increasing clouds with widely scattered showers and thunderstorms possible during the day. Rain will become likely at night, and some thunderstorms are possible as well - some storms could even become severe. 

Tuesday (High 67, Low 56): Rain/thunderstorms likely.

Wednesday (High 50, Low 40): Mostly sunny.

Thanksgiving (High 53, Low 29): Sunny.

Friday (High 55, Low 32): Mostly sunny. 

Thursday, November 16, 2023

A Couple of Cold Fronts in the Cards

(Forecast)

Friday (High 67, Low 53): Mostly cloudy and cool. Periods of scattered light rain are possible. 

Saturday (High 64, Low 50): Mostly sunny. Cool and breezy.

Sunday (High 66, Low 35): Sunny. Cool - cold in the morning. 

(Extended Outlook)

Monday (High 69, Low 46): Increasing clouds with a 40% chance of showers/thunderstorms.

Tuesday (High 67, Low 55): Rain likely - isolated thunderstorms possible. 

Wednesday (High 53, Low 38): Mostly sunny.

Thanksgiving (High 50, Low 30): Sunny.

(Pronóstico)

Viernes (Máxima 67, Mínima 53): Mayormente nublado y fresco. Es posible que se produzcan períodos de lluvias ligeras dispersas.

Sábado (Máxima 64, Mínima 50): Mayormente soleado. Fresco y ventoso.

Domingo (Máxima 66, Mínima 35): Soleado. Fresco - frío por la mañana.

(Perspectiva Extendida)

Lunes (Máxima 69, Mínima 46): Nubes en aumento con un 40% de probabilidad de lluvias/tormentas eléctricas.

Martes (Máxima 67, Mínima 55): Probabilidad de lluvia; es posible que se produzcan tormentas eléctricas aisladas.

Miércoles (Máxima 53, Mínima 38): Mayormente soleado.

Acción de Gracias (Máxima, Mínima 30): Soleado.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Unsettled Cool Week

Tuesday (High 69, Low 45): Mostly cloudy and breezy with an isolated shower possible during the day. Then scattered showers are possible overnight. 

Wednesday (High 57, Low 46): Overcast, cool, and breezy. Scattered showers are possible. 

Thursday (High 63, Low 47): An isolated lingering shower is possible in the morning. Becoming mostly sunny the rest of the day. 

Friday (High 64, Low 49): Overcast with a 30% chance of showers. 

Saturday (High 63, Low 44): Mostly sunny. 

Sunday (High 64, Low 35): Mostly sunny. 

Monday (High 63, Low 45): Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. 

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Cool and Unsettled Pattern

(Forecast)

Sunday (High 64, Low 49): Partly to mostly cloudy. Cool.

Monday (High 68, Low 43): Mostly sunny and cool during the day. Isolated showers are possible at night.

Tuesday (High 60, Low 50): Partly cloudy with widely scattered showers possible during the day. Rain is likely at night, and becoming breezy.

(Extended Outlook)

Wednesday (High 55, Low 46): Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers. 

Thursday (High 63, Low 47): Gradual clearing. 

Friday (High 64, Low 51): Partly to mostly cloudy.

Saturday (High 65, Low 49): Mostly sunny.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

A Little Rain and a Cooldown on the Way, Then Mostly Clear Next Week

(Forecast)

Today (High 74): Increasing clouds with widely scattered rain showers possible during the day. Rain will become likely at night. 

Friday (High 60, Low 50): Cloudy and lightly breezy. Numerous rounds of rain showers are possible throughout the day and night.

Veterans Day (High 59, Low 46): Partly cloudy. Widely scattered showers are possible. 

Sunday (High 60, Low 47): Partly cloudy. Widely scattered showers are possible. 

(Extended Outlook)

Monday (High 63, Low 40): Mostly sunny.

Tuesday (High 65, Low 38): Mostly sunny.

Wednesday (High 64, Low 39): Partly cloudy.

Thursday (High 66, Low 41): Mostly sunny.

(Tea Leaves)

Friday November 17th (High 68, Low 43): Mostly sunny.

Saturday November 18th (High 70, Low 46): Partly cloudy.

Sunday November 19th (High 69, Low 54): Partly to mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain/thunderstorms.

(Pronóstico)

Hoy (Máxima 74): Nubosidad creciente con lluvias muy dispersas posibles durante el día. Por la noche será probable que llueva.

Viernes (Máxima 60, Mínima 50): Nublado y ligeramente ventoso. Es posible que se produzcan numerosas lluvias durante el día y la noche.

Día de los Veteranos (Máxima 59, Mínima 46): Parcialmente nublado. Es posible que se produzcan lluvias muy dispersas.

Domingo (Máxima 60, Mínima 47): Parcialmente nublado. Es posible que se produzcan lluvias muy dispersas.

(Perspectiva Extendida)

Lunes (Máxima 63, Mínima 40): Mayormente soleado.

Martes (Máxima 65, Mínima 38): Mayormente soleado.

Miércoles (Máxima 64, Mínima 39): Parcialmente nublado.

Jueves (Máxima 66, Mínima 41): Mayormente soleado.

(Hojas de Té)

Viernes 17 de Noviembre (Máxima 68, Mínima 43): Mayormente soleado.

Sábado 18 de Noviembre (Máxima 70, Mínima 46): Parcialmente nublado.

Domingo 19 de Noviembre (Máxima 69, Mínima 54): Parcialmente a mayormente nublado con un 40% de probabilidad de lluvias/tormentas.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

One More Warm Day, Then a Little Cool Rain to Change Things Up

Wednesday (High 80, Low 51): Mostly sunny. Breezy and warm.

Thursday (High 76, Low 57): Partly cloudy with an isolated shower possible during the day. Rain showers are likely at night.

Friday (High 63, Low 52): Cloudy and cool. Numerous rounds of rain showers are possible throughout the day and night.

Veterans Day (High 60, Low 45): Mostly sunny with a 20% chance of a shower.

Sunday (High 61, Low 47): Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers.

Monday (High 64, Low 40): Mostly sunny.

Tuesday (High 62, Low 37): Mostly sunny.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Severe Weather Safety Review for the Fall Peak

North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee mainly have severe weather season during the Spring months of March, April, and May. 

But we also have a secondary peak in the cool season, usually during the month of November. This is when we are trying to change to Winter. Usually the cold fronts that hit this time of year only bring some rain and gusty winds. But if the air gets warm and muggy enough, sometimes that same wind energy can produce powerful thunderstorms and even tornadoes. 

This essay is a condensed version of something I wrote back in October, because really, the time to prepare for severe weather is when the weather is still calm, like it is right now. 

Let's go over some definitions. 

A severe thunderstorm is a thunderstorm that produces winds of at least 50 knots (so 58 miles per hour) or hail at least an inch in diameter (about the size of a quarter). These thunderstorms are thought to be an immediate threat to life and property. 

For the technical definition of a tornado and the official government guidelines, check out this page. (Here is a link to tornado safety info in Spanish, and also the Spanish version of preparedness in general. It is challenging enough to communicate weather information sometimes when everyone's language is the same, all the technical jargon that comes with meteorology, so I really appreciate the people who have made the efforts to translate this into literally another language.)

But if you've lived around here any length of time, you know what a tornado is. It does have to be in contact with the ground to be a tornado. If it's up in the air, it is still a funnel cloud. And you're lucky if you can see a funnel around here. 

So it's more important to pay attention to severe weather alerts around here. We do not have flat lands like they do out in the Great Plains and Midwest, and a lot of our tornadoes are wrapped in rain, coming out of "high-precipitation supercells". You can't really wait around to see or hear them coming, so you have to respect the warnings when you get them.  

The best way to do that is with a NOAA Weather Radio, one with battery backup in case of a power failure. You can get one online or at most stores for about $30. I've had the same one for well over ten years. So the investment is definitely worthwhile. As an alternative or extra layer of awareness, some people might prefer a service like WeatherCall or similar cell phone app. WeatherCall has been around a long time, and I consider it to be reliable. 

Programming a weather radio is not as daunting as it first appears. Here is an excellent video from Taylor Sarallo in case any of you get a headache about it like I did the first time I bought a digital weather radio

Don't rely on outdoor warning sirens, as they play a very limited role in letting people know something is going on. If you don't want to use a weather radio or good phone service, you can still enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your cell phone and/or stay tuned to a reliable radio station that will cut in for severe weather. 

Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms, that are capable of producing tornadoes, in and close to the watch area. People in those areas need to stay alert for rapidly changing weather conditions, and listen for later statements, or possible warnings. 

Tornado Warning means that a tornado is believed to be developing or already occurring, based on radar data and/or a reliable report, in the warned area. Warnings are usually only issued for a small part of a county at a time now, drawn as a polygon on the map. People within that warning polygon should shelter first and gather more information later. 

Severe Thunderstorm Watch means that conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms to develop, but without tornadoes being likely, more of a threat for damaging straight-line winds and/or large hail. 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning means that the storm is believed to be producing damaging winds or hail. Which can still be dangerous. 

And if the environment already favors tornadoes, then a tornado could develop from a severe thunderstorm before a tornado warning officially comes out. That has happened many times over the years, to the point that if someone is under a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning at the same time, I'd rather know they're already going to a safe place, instead of waiting to see if a tornado warning is required later. The infamous tornado that hit Huntsville on November 15th, 1989 actually touched down during a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, which then had to be quickly upgraded to a Tornado Warning. And such things have happened many times over the years. That's an example people will remember though. 

Any time you hear or see the term Particularly Dangerous Situation attached to a watch or a warning, that is exactly what it sounds like. 

Most people these days do not have access to a storm shelter. But nine times out of ten, a person can survive a tornado by doing the right things in a site-built house or other strong building, doesn't have to have a basement.  

If you live in a mobile home (or manufactured home, trailer) or another weak structure (like an apartment on the top floor is another example), then you might want to look into public storm shelters. Or it is even better if you have a family member or friend with a sturdy house (or if you are very lucky, a storm shelter or basement) who will let you stay with them when the weather is dangerous. 

If you want to call your county's Emergency Management Agency to ask about public shelters, then please try to do it before a severe weather event gets underway, at a time the weather is calm, and they are not busy. Here is the directory for Alabama and for Tennessee

And it's important to familiarize yourself with where you are on a map, what county you live in, and what counties border you. Excellent maps of Alabama and Tennessee can be found at www.geology.com

Assuming you have a sturdy house or other strong building to shelter in, the guidelines are:

* Stay away from windows. 

* Get to the lowest floor.

* Get into a small room, such as a bathroom, closet, or hallway - where the walls are less likely to collapse under the winds, even if they are tornado winds. 

* Make that safe space as near the center of the building as you can - as many walls between you and that storm outside as possible. 

* If you have time, shield your body in some way from falling or flying debris. Especially protect your head. 

And if you do that, you are very likely to survive, and actually are pretty likely to survive without any serious injury. It's especially important to protect your head, whether you use a pillow or blankets, or whether you can go hardcore with something like a bike or football helmet. While it's not as critical, it is also a good idea to wear some shoes, your sturdiest pair, just in case you were to come out to broken glass or other tornado debris after a storm. And if you have something that will make noise, like an air horn, sometimes that will help emergency workers find you faster if the storm has piled up a lot of debris. I don't mean to scare anyone by running through some of the worst-case scenarios, but it's good to think about them ahead of time, just in case. Once in a while people do get trapped by tornado debris and have to be rescued. And sometimes people do step on things like broken glass or even, much more dangerous, a downed power line, after a really bad storm. If you have some idea of how you'd handle these situations ahead of time, then if you have the bad luck to face one, chances are, you'll be all right. 

If you do have the option to get into an actual storm shelter before a tornado hits, then of course you should use that. But the odds are in your favor sheltering above-ground in a well-built house. The last place you ever want to shelter is in a mobile home. Usually you'll have a better chance of surviving lying in a low spot outside, such as an unflooded culvert or ditch, than if you stayed in a mobile home. 

Another place you don't want to get stuck, if you can do anything about it, is in a car. There is an old myth about getting up under a bridge, but it really is a myth. Opinions vary on whether a car is safer than getting into a ditch or other low spot outside, but during a tornado, I favor the low spot outside. While admitting that either one is a last resort. 

A great meteorologist named Tim Troutman used to always say that any route you drive regularly, you should think of three or four places you could pull over, in the event of a tornado warning, and take safe shelter inside. Even if it's something as simple as a gas station, that is a lot safer than staying in a vehicle. And some service stations or restaurants are open all night. If any truckers think I'm keeping them in mind, you might have a point there. 

This information is more than you are likely to ever need to stay safe from severe weather. But sometimes the extra pointers can come in handy. 

The basic idea is to be in a sturdy house or other strong building, and to get as low down as you can, and as near the center as you can, staying well away from any windows and shielding your body, especially your head. 

If you have any questions or suggestions to improve this safety essay, you can always send me an e-mail

A Warm Snap, Then a Little Rain, Then Cool Sunny Days Again

Monday (High 77, Low 43): Mostly sunny. A bit warmer in the afternoon. 

Tuesday (High 80, Low 49): Sunny. Mild morning, warm afternoon. 

Wednesday (High 83, Low 52): Sunny. Warmer.

Thursday (High 78, Low 56): Partly to mostly sunny with an isolated shower possible.

Friday (High 64, Low 55): Cloudy with a 50% chance of showers. 

Veterans Day (High 60, Low 44): Mostly sunny.

Sunday (High 60, Low 39): Mostly sunny. 

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Staying Sunny and Dry, Gradual Warming Trend

(Forecast)

Friday (High 65, Low 29): Sunny with low humidity. Cold in the morning with possible frost. 

Saturday (High 71, Low 36): Sunny with low humidity. Still cold in the morning, cool most of the day.

Sunday (High 73, Low 41): Mostly sunny. Cool. 

(Extended Outlook)

Monday (High 76, Low 47): Mostly sunny.

Tuesday (High 78, Low 50): Sunny.

Wednesday (High 80, Low 56): Mostly sunny.

Thursday (High 76, Low 58): Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers.