Snow Winding Down

The snow has been a beautiful sight to some today, but this event is beginning to wind down. All of Tuscaloosa County saw snow with a trace across the north and up to an inch across the south. In the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport, the most common amounts I've seen are a dusting to a half an inch. A lot of the snow has actually melted this afternoon as temperatures have risen to 36. All of the snow should exit the county after 4 p.m. Although the road conditions are in good shape right now, I am worried about some icy patches developing on the roads after 7 p.m. as temperatures drop below freezing.


We'll see slightly warmer temperatures but still chilly tomorrow under mostly cloudy skies. Highs should be in the low to mid 40s. On Sunday, we'll quickly turn our attention to the north as a strong Clipper will approach the state late in the day. These systems typically are moisture starved, but there is decent agreement in the models that some light rain will arrive Sunday afternoon and may changeover to light snow late Sunday night through early Monday morning. Accumulations, if any, should be minor, but it's possible the roofs and tops of cars could be white when you wake up Monday morning. After the Clipper passes, arctic air will pour into the state with highs in the 30s Monday and Tuesday. The air mass will modify some by Wednesday with rebounding temperatures Thursday and Friday.

However, the moderation will be short-lived because strong blocking is forecast to shift into western Canada and Alaska by the end of next week in response to a tropically enhanced northern Pacific wave train. This will promote a highly amplified pattern with cross polar flow becoming established by next weekend. Needless to say, don't expect any prolonged periods of warmth anytime soon. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if temperatures in the last half of February are even colder than the first half of February.