Underneath Those Huntsville Lights

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2012-01-25T11:13:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After all the rain and severe weather we have received across north Alabama the last week we now appear to finally have a break in the weather pattern this weekend. High pressure will shift in from the west starting Friday through the weekend. Rainfall is not expected through the forecast period. Temperatures will cool down a bit with 50s for highs & 30s for lows...but that is not too bad for late January. Long-range models are hinting much colder weather as we move into February.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 51.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 31.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 52.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 30.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 53.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2012-01-18T11:06:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Heading into an unsettled weather pattern this weekend. Several impulses will impact the region this weekend bringing with it a chance of showers Friday & a better chance of rain & thunderstorms on Saturday. Could have a few strong storms Saturday as well. We'll get a small break from the heavier rain on Sunday with temperatures well above normal through the weekend. A stronger system will likely move our way the first of next week. Some model data has suggested the possibility of strong to perhaps severe thunderstorms somewhere in the Tuesday-Wednesday time frame. Something to keep a close eye on through the weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. High 61.
Friday Night...Showers & thunderstorms likely. Low 52. Chance of rain 70%.
Saturday...Showers & thunderstorms likely. A few locally strong storms possible. High 62. Chance of rain 80%.
Saturday Night...Clearing & cooler. Low 45.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy. Some light rain possible by afternoon. High 67. Chance of rain 20%.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2012-01-11T08:30:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After nearly a week of rainfall drier weather if finally in the forecast. Cold high pressure will move in for the weekend. We'll see plenty of sunshine...but also some cold temperatures. The temperatures will moderate as we head into the first part of next week back to near normal temperatures. Enjoy the weekend...but bundle up!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 42.
Friday Night...Clear & cold. Low 21.
Saturday...Sunny. High 49.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 31.
Sunday...Sunny. High 49.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2012-01-04T08:56:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After a bitter cold temperatures earlier in the week we will start the weekend a tad above normal with temperatures in the 60s on Friday. A cold front will make its way through the Valley late Friday through Saturday bringing a chance of some rain. Behind the front another shot of cooler air. This air will not be quite a cool as the last round we had. Highs on Sunday will be in the low 50s.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy early becoming mostly cloudy late. High 61.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy. Low 48.
New Year's Eve...Cloudy with a 50% chance of showers. High 62.
Saturday Night...Cloudy with a 50% chance of showers. Low 39.
Sunday...Clearing. Mostly sunny by afternoon. High 52.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com New Year's Weekend Forecast

2011-12-28T15:33:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...High pressure will dominate our weather Friday & Saturday. With a light south breeze temperatures will climb into the low to perhaps middle 60s Friday & Saturday. A weak disturbance will approach late Saturday Night into New Year's Day which could spark a few showers early Sunday. That will clear & the sun could make a return late in the day...however temperatures will fall about ten degrees compared to Friday & Saturday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 62.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 38.
New Year's Eve...Partly cloudy. High 62.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 45.
New Year's Day...cloudy with a 40% chance of morning showers. Clearing late. Cooler with a high of 52.

Have a great weekend & a Happy New Year everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Christmas Weekend Forecast

2011-12-21T11:19:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Stubborn low pressure will hang around for much of the weekend. While we're not expecting rain the first half of the weekend the clouds will likely be hanging around. By Christmas Eve Night an impulse should get close enough to spark a few light rain showers that will carry into Christmas Day. Not expecting anything heavy with this...& unlike last year a White Christmas is not expected.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy. High 56.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy. Low 38.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy. high 52.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers. Low 38.
Christmas Day...Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers early. Partial clearing possible late. High 51.

Santa's Tennessee Valley Arrival Forecast...Santa will be navigating through cloudy skies. There will be a few showers to dodge on his radar...but not expecting any problems for Santa's arrival into Alabama. Remember you can track Santa's journey to Alabama starting Christmas Eve morning on NORAD's Santa website...at www.noradsanta.org.

Have a great weekend & a Merry Christmas everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-12-14T12:52:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...A couple of weak disturbances will affect the Tennessee Valley this weekend. The first one Friday will provide us a damp, wet, cool day with rain & temperature only in the upper 40s. We'll clear out for Saturday. Another disturbance will bring some clouds on Sunday. For now...looks like we'll only see some extra clouds & no rain on Sunday with temperatures getting back up near 60.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with a 90% chance or rain. High 48.
Friday Night...Rain ending early. Clearing late. Low 34.
Saturday...Sunny. high 51.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 31.
Sunday...Partly cloudy & warmer. High 59.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-12-07T11:53:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Looking at a fantastic weather weekend...but it will be chilly. High pressure will be in control throughout. We will get a re-enforcing shot of cold air on Saturday...thus temperatures will drop six to eight degrees between Friday & Saturday. We will see a freeze on bot Friday & Saturday Nights will lows in the mid to upper 20s. The good news...no chance of precipitation through the weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 52.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 27.
Saturday...Sunny & cooler. High 45.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 27.
Sunday...Sunny. High 47.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

End Of An Era In Huntsville Television

2011-11-30T22:22:00.004-06:00

As most folks know by now we are losing one of the good ones in Huntsville Weather on Friday.

WHNT Chief Meteorologist Dan Satterfield has announced he will be leaving. His final forecast will be Friday during WHNT News at 6:30.

Dan has been at WHNT since 1994 as Cheif Meteorologist. Before arriving in Huntsville he worked several years under James Spann at WBRC in Birmingham.

My first real experience watching Dan here in Huntsville was when I was living in Florence, SC in 2006. I watched the nearly seven hours of coverage streaming live from the severe weather outbreak on April 7, 2006. It was amazing to watch him, James Paul Dice, & Spencer Denton as the Tennessee Valley was getting rocked by widespread supercells that evening.

There are several great weather forecasters in the Tennessee Valley...but there is only one Dan. The safety of Dan's viewers during severe weather was, and always has been, his number one objective at WHNT. I've learned alot watching him over the last five years...he is a true wellspring of knowledge.

It is expected at some point Dan will likely be moving back home to Oklahoma...& his long-range plans are to teach at some point.

So on a personal note I want to wish Dan all the best in the future. The Tennessee Valley will not be the same without him. No question you will be missed buddy.

Here is Dan at his absolute best during the Huntsville Tornado on January 21, 2010...

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-11-29T22:30:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Cool high pressure will remain in control the first part of the weekend. We'll remain dry...but cool on Friday & Saturday. Clouds should be on the increase for Sunday as will the temperatures. I've included a small risk of a late-day shower for Sunday...but we might get through the day before rain likely sets in for Sunday night.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 58.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 32.
Saturday...Sunny. High near 60.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. A bit warmer. Low 42.
Sunday...Increasing clouds. A chance of a shower late. High 62. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-11-23T09:14:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...First half of the weekend looks fantastic. Friday will see plenty of sunshine with highs well into the 60s. A cold front will approach from the west on Saturday bringing a chance of showers by late into the day. Most of the area will see rainfall by Saturday Night into Sunday...along with cooler temperatures. This same system could bring at least a shot of some snow flurries Sunday Night into Monday. Accumulations look unlikely at this time but it will be something worth watching.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 66.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 46.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers & thunderstorms late. High 65.
Saturday Night...Showers & thunderstorms likely. Low 42. Chance of rain 70 percent.
Sunday...Rain likely. High 51. Chance of rain 80 percent.

Iron Bowl Forecast...

Alabama at Auburn (2:30 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature in the mid 60s falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter. Rain should hold off until late Saturday Night.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Severe Weather...To Close Or Not To Close

2011-11-22T21:10:00.002-06:00

A good thing happened in north Alabama today...the severe weather forecast busted. There's no question the forecast 24 hours ago appeared to have severe thunderstorms in the forecast. Thankfully things did not pan out. The severe weather stayed south of our area...& no tornadoes were reported in Alabama today. While busting forecasts is no fun...not having severe weather is always good.

Something however did happen today that quite frankly left me puzzled & made no sense whatsoever. The decision by school systems to close schools early.

It started yesterday with Madison County Schools closing yesterday a day before the event started. More closed early this morning...& then, as it was apparent that severe weather was not going to be an issue in north Alabama, even more closed.

While I understand the safety of students are of upmost importance & the tragic events of April 27th is still fresh in everyone's minds...it is worth mentioning the threat from this weather system was nowhere close to dangerous. If you compare today's system with April 27th it's like comparing Hurricane Katrina to a weak tropical storm.

Today there were no worries.

Based on the reactions of both National Weather Service employees & the comments made by local meteorologists from the local media, many of the Superintendents did not check with any of those folks on making the closing decisions. It's safe to say many of the decisions were made to get students off early for the Thanksgiving holiday...& the threat of severe weather was the perfect excuse to make it happen.

Closing schools also caused anxiety among many people...who thought today might compare to April 27th.

The severe weather threat was a slight risk. It was slight during the entire event. The tornado risk was low. We simply cannot get into a situation where we close every single time there is a low risk of severe thunderstorms. Schools have tornado plans & conduct tornado drills. But if we're going to close schools every time this happens should the tornado drill plan be to have parents pick up students early?

I know closing schools or not it a tough decision to make. There are days where closing is the right thing to do. But this was not one of those days. Common sense went out the window today. This from a group of people who's number one job is to improve academic achievement. Instead a reg flag was raised in those districts on a day where the severe weather red flag was not.

We need to look at each threat, take stock of the actual threat & make the decisions based on each circumstance. To be honest no school should be closed unless the Storm Prediction Center puts out at least a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with tornadoes as the main threat. A slight risk means just that. The chances of a tornado days was 5%, or 1 in 20, within 25 miles of any one point in north Alabama. That is tiny!

But hey...if we start closing schools for every slight risk issued through the fall & spring...well...how does the last day of school on the Fourth of July sound?

- J.P.

Severe Thunderstorms Likely Tomorrow. Tornadoes Possible

2011-11-21T20:39:00.002-06:00

Here in Alabama we have two severe weather seasons. We are in the middle of our "secondary" severe weather season. And with that we are keeping a close eye on the potential of severe thunderstorms tomorrow.

A cold front will approach late tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow night. With that a squall line is expected to form & push across our area. As it does the threat of severe thunderstorms will increase. For now it appears damaging winds up to 80 mph will be the main threat. However...if supercells can form ahead of the line or if we see breaks & kinks in the line a few tornadoes will be possible as well.

While this is a good threat...this will be nowhere near the conditions we had April 27th. We are not expecting widespread damage from this. Just be ready just in case. It is likely we'll see a Tornado Watch issued at some point probably around mid-afternoon tomorrow. Best chance for severe weather in our area looks to be between 3 pm and Midnight.

If you follow my personal page on Facebook keep in mind all watches & warnings issued by the National Weather Service in Huntsville post to my news feed as soon as they are issued. Be prepared to take action should tornado warnings be needed. Remember to have a good way to receive warnings...& do not bank on tornado sirens to warn you.

Stay safe!!!
- J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-11-15T20:43:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Looking like this weekend will be a carbon copy of last weekend with a few changes for Sunday. High pressure will be in control for Friday & Saturday with Friday temperature in the upper 50s warming into the 60s for Saturday. Our next front will make its way to the Tennessee Valley on Sunday bringing our next chance of showers & thunderstorms. May have to watch for some stronger storms Sunday afternoon with high temperatures expected to reach the 70s in many places.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 58.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 38.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 62.
Saturday Night...Increasing clouds. Low near 50.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy & warmer with a 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 71.

Football forecast...

Georgia Southern at Alabama (1:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...It will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature near 60 warming to the mid 60s by the fourth quarter.

Samford at Auburn (Noon - Auburn, AL)...It will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature near 60 warming to the mid 60s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M (2:00 pm - Prairie View, TX)...It will be mostly cloudy with a balmy kickoff temperature near 80 degrees dropping to the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Today

2011-11-09T09:06:00.002-06:00

Just a quick reminder there will be a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS)today. Every television & radio station will be participating in the test...which will occur at approximately 1 pm Central Time. The test will last around one minute. As a reminder...it is only a test.

This will be the first test done on a nationwide basis. The system is designed to be used on a nationwide basis in the event of a nuclear attack or other national emergency. It's a way the President can address the country on very short notice should that ever be needed.

The EAS on a national level is a good thing. It's the local activations that need to be fixed (example...tornado warnings). These take too much time & many times will cover up wall-to-wall local coverage. Hopefully this is something that will be worked on in the future of EAS.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-11-09T08:49:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...With the cold front passage on Wednesday we're expecting to see sunny skies on Friday & Saturday. Friday is looking chilly with high only in the 50s & a possible light freeze on Saturday Morning. Saturday will be nice as well with a warming trend expected. We'll see clouds begin to move in on Saturday Night & Sunday as the warming trend continues. Some areas will challenge 70 degrees on Sunday. Right now it looks like rain will hold off until Monday & perhaps Tuesday with the next front.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 58.
Friday Night...Clear & chilly. Low 31.
Saturday...Sunny. High 61.
Saturday Night...Increasing clouds. Low 46.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy. Warmer. High 68.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Mississippi State (6:45 pm - Starkville, MS)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature in the low 60s falling to the low to mid 50s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn at Georgia (2:30 pm - Athens, GA)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature in the mid to upper 60s falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Jackson State at Alabama A&M (1:00 pm - Huntsville, AL)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the low 60s falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-11-02T10:33:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Another near-perfect weekend is on tap this weekend. High pressure will dominate again this weekend. We'll be a bit chilly on Friday as winds will be from the north...keeping us in the low 60s. Winds should shift on Saturday & Sunday drawing in some slightly warmer air as we will reach the upper 60s. Some areas will challenge 70 especially on Sunday. If going out in the evenings be sure to carry a coat.

As a reminder...Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour at 2 am Sunday morning as daylight savings time ends. Also a good idea to check the batteries in both your smoke detectors & weather radios as well.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 63.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 44.
Saturday...Sunny. High 68.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 45.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 68.

Football forecast...

LSU at Alabama (7:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...We'll see partly cloudy skies with a kickoff temperature in the upper 50s falling to the upper 40s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn is off this weekend.

Alabama A&M at Alcorn State (2:00 pm - Lorman, MS)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the middle 60s falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-10-26T09:58:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A cold front will pull through the area early Friday. We'll see clearing begin by Friday afternoon with cooler temperatures behind the front. The cold air will not be quite as sharp as we thought last week. High will generally be in the upper 50s warming to the mid to upper 60s by Sunday...with overnight lows in the upper 30s. Could see some isolated frost Saturday & Sunday morning especially in the colder valleys of north Alabama.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy early with clearing by afternoon. A slight chance of light rain or drizzle early. High 59.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 38.
Saturday...Sunny. High 63.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 39.
Sunday...Sunny. High 66.

Football forecast...

Alabama is off this weekend getting ready for their big showdown with LSU next week.

Ole Miss at Auburn (6:00 pm - Auburn, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature in the upper 50s falling to near 50 by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M vs Alabama State (2:30 pm - Birmingham, AL)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the middle 60s falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-10-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A dry & much cooler airmass has invaded the Tennessee Valley this week. This trend will continue through the weekend with a slight warming trend. A weak disturbance will approach the area on Sunday. We could see a light rain shower late Sunday afternoon...but most of us should stay dry as temperatures warm back up to near or just over 70 degrees. Long-range models are indicating we could see even colder temperatures by late next week. Something to keep an eye on.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 61.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 38.
Saturday...Sunny. High 64.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 39.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. A 30% chance of a shower late. High 71.

Football forecast...

Tennessee at Alabama (6:15 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature around 60 degrees falling to the low 50s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn at LSU (2:30 pm - Baton Rouge, LA)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling into the upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M is off this week.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-10-12T11:18:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A cold front will cross the area on Thursday. Behind that another shot of cool & dry air will follow. This will set-up another spectacular weekend for north Alabama with plenty of sun. We'll see a slight warming trend through the weekend as well. Some areas will challenge the 80 degree mark by Sunday. Fall colors are beginning to peak now especially in higher elevations. Should be a great weekend to check that out this weekend as well!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 71.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 48.
Saturday...Sunny. High 76.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 51.
Sunday...Sunny. High 78.

Football forecast...

Mississippi at Alabama (5:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling to the mid to upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Florida at Auburn (6:00 pm - Auburn, AL)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the low 70s falling into the low 60s by the fourth quarter.

Texas Southern at Alabama A&M (6:30 pm Thursday - Huntsville, AL)...We'll see clearing skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 60s and falling to the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-10-05T10:27:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Another great weekend is on tap for the Tennessee Valley. High pressure, which has controlled our weather the last couple of weeks, will hang on for one more weekend. Temperatures will be 10-15 degrees warmer this weekend than last. Again there is no chance of rain. weather pattern may begin to change first of next week as rain chances may begin to increase. In the meantime all outdoor activities this weekend, including homecoming at Alabama A&M, look great!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 84.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 52.
Saturday...Sunny. High 81.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 51.
Sunday...Sunny. High 80.

Football forecast...

Vanderbilt at Alabama (6:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling to the mid to upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn at Arkansas (6:00 pm - Fayetteville, AR)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the low 70s falling into the low 60s by the fourth quarter.

Mississippi Valley St. at Alabama A&M (1:00 pm - Huntsville, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature around 80 degrees and holding around 80 degrees by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-09-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A picture perfect weekend will be on tap for the weekend. A shot of cool & dry Canadian air will make its way to the Tennessee Valley through the weekend. This will give us perfect afternoon temperatures with no chance of rain. We will fall well into the 40s through the overnight hours. If going to any local high school of college football games this weekend I recommend taking a jacket & perhaps a blanket as well. Otherwise the weekend looks spectacular!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 71.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy & cool. Low 47.
Saturday...Sunny. High 68.
Saturday Night...Clear & unseasonably cool. Low 43.
Sunday...Sunny. High 71.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Florida (7:00 pm - Gainesville, FL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling to the mid to upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Florida Atlantic at Auburn (2:30 pm - Columbia, SC)...We'll see sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling into the mid 60s by the fourth quarter.

Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Alabama A&M (6:00 pm - Huntsville, AL)...We'll see clear skies with a kickoff temperature around 60 degrees falling to near 50 by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-09-21T10:47:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Another beautiful weekend is on tap for the Tennessee Valley. We'll see some light drizzle early Friday...but things should clear out nicely by afternoon setting the stage for a spectacular weekend. All outdoor activities, including football & Big Spring Jam, look perfect. Highs in the mid to upper 70s....overnight lows in the low 50s.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy early becoming partly cloudy late. A 20% chance of drizzle early. High 74.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 52.
Saturday...Sunny. High 78.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 52.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 78.

Football forecast...

Arkansas at Alabama (2:30 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...Will be sunny with a kickoff temperature in the upper 70s falling to the mid to low 70s by the fourth quarter.

Florida Atlantic at Auburn (6:00 am - Auburn, AL)...Will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature in the lower 70s rising to the mid 60s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Grambling State (5:00 pm - Grambling, LA)...For the home opener, we're looking at partly cloudy skies with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling into the upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-09-14T08:30:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A beautiful weekend is on tap for the Tennessee Valley. We'll see partly cloudy skies through the weekend as we'll be under the influence of high pressure. Rain chances are near zero through the entire weekend. Highs will range in the upper 70s to low 80s with overnight lows in the upper 50s. Get out & enjoy this weekend!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 82.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 58.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 81.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 59.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 82.

Football forecast...

Texas State at Alabama (6:30 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...Will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature in the mid 70s falling to the mid to upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn at Clemson (11:00 am - Clemson, SC)...Will be partly to mostly cloudy with a kickoff temperature in the upper 60s rising to the lower 70s by the fourth quarter.

Tuskegee at Alabama A&M (6:00 pm - Huntsville, AL)...For the home opener, we're looking at partly cloudy skies with a kickoff temperature in the low 70s falling into the 60s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Rocket City Weather fest This Saturday

2011-09-12T21:21:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick note as a reminder the Huntsville's second annual "Rocket City Weather Fest" will take place on Saturday at the Shelby Center on the campus of the University of Alabama-Huntsville from 11 am - 4 pm. The event is open to the public...and it is absolutely free!

There will be plenty of activities & seminars going on during the event. Many concerning the April 27th tornado outbreak. The Weather Channel's severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes & Nick Walker will be in attendance. Several local meteorologists from Huntsville television will be there as well. There will be a Skywarn Spotter training class offered...as well as a weather balloon launch at 1 pm.

Click here to learn more about the event and the what is planned.

Hope to see you there!

For those who have not seen Dr. Forbes work on the Weather Channel...here is video of him during the April 27th outbreak...

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-09-07T12:23:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Partly to mostly cloudy skies are expected this weekend. There is a very small chance of light rain or drizzle on Friday & Saturday...but the chances are so small I've left them out of the forecast. There will be a slightly better chance of a shower on Sunday. The big story this weekend will be temperatures as they will continue to run 10-15 degrees below normal. Upper 70s Friday & Saturday...then finally back into the 80s on Sunday. Usually this time of year we should see highs in the upper 80s to near 90.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 77.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 56.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 79.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 58.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 81.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Penn State (2:30 pm - State College, PA)...We'll see partly to mostly cloudy with a 50/50 chance of rain during the game. Kickoff temperature should be in the mid 70s falling to the upper 60s in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi State at Auburn (11:21 am - Auburn, AL)...We'll see partly cloudy skies at kickoff with a temperature in the mid 70s climbing to around 80 by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Southern (6:00 pm - Baton Rouge, LA)...We'll see partly cloudy skies with a kickoff temperature around 80 degrees falling to around 70 by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-08-31T10:59:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Beautiful weather will continue through Saturday. Friday & Saturday will stay dry & warm with highs in the low to mid 90s. Saturday a disturbance will get close enough to possibly spark a thunderstorm or two in the afternoon. We will be watching the Gulf Of Mexico closely this weekend as models are developing a tropical wave. If heading for the Gulf Coast this is something you'll want to keep close tabs on.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 94.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 68.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 92.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 68.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 92.
Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 67.
Labor Day...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 89.

Football forecast...

Kent State at Alabama (11:21 am - Tuscaloosa, AL)...Sunny skies are expected for the Tide's home opener. Kickoff temperature will be in the upper 80s with temperatures rising into the low 90s by the fourth quarter.

Utah State at Auburn (11:00 am - Auburn, AL)...Sunny skies also expected for the Tigers' home opener. Kickoff temperatures in the upper 80 rising into the mid 90s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M vs. Hampton (4:00 pm - Chicago, IL)...It will be partly cloudy with a 50/50 chance of showers of thunderstorms during the game. If there's no rain temperatures will be in the mid 80s at kickoff. With rain temperatures will fall into the lower 70s.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Do We Really Need a National Weather Service? You Bet!!!

2011-08-28T01:03:00.002-05:00

Generally when it comes to a news channel...I've been a fan of Fox News. However...an article was posted on their website on Saturday which quite frankly has me puzzled. The article focused on the National Weather Service & questioning it's usefulness & if the NWS has become obsolete. You can read the entire article here.

This is the one paragraph in this piece that really gets to me. It's wrong on so many levels...

"Today the NWS justifies itself on public interest grounds. It issues severe weather advisories and hijacks local radio and television stations to get the message out. It presumes that citizens do not pay attention to the weather and so it must force important, perhaps lifesaving, information upon them. A few seconds’ thought reveals how silly this is. The weather might be the subject people care most about on a daily basis. There is a very successful private TV channel dedicated to it, 24 hours a day, as well as any number of phone and PC apps. Americans need not be forced to turn over part of their earnings to support weather reporting."

A few wrong misconceptions from this paragraph...

* The National Weather Service does NOT hijack local radio & television stations to get the message out. Most of these warnings are carried out via the Emergency Alert System. This system replaced the Emergency Broadcast System & was updated in the early 1990s during the Clinton administration. I have posted a blog post on the EAS not too long ago. This system is obsolete in of itself & is what breaks into most programming...especially on cable. This is NOT run by the National Weather Service. This system itself needs to be cleaned up due to the fact it takes longer for the warnings to get out. Local stations choose how they want to handle local weather coverage. If a station chooses to do wall-to-wall weather coverage that decision belongs to the stations. All the weather service is doing is issuing life-saving warnings. The decision on how those get disseminated relies on the EAS (generally run by the FCC) and local station managers.

* Yes there is a successful 24-hour weather channel...but how useful is it to a local community during an emergency? Let's look back at the tornado outbreak here in Alabama on April 27th. The Weather Channel did a fine job with their coverage...but to what extent? When the afternoon supercells began swarming Alabama they did a great job covering the tornadoes in Cullman, Tuscaloosa, & Birmingham. However...this coverage really only accounted for TWO of the 61 tornadoes that struck Alabama on that day. The two most dangerous & life-threatening tornadoes from that day were the Hackleburg to Harvest EF-5 & the DeKalb County EF-5. These two tornadoes BARELY got covered during the coverage on the national network...much less the other 59 in Alabama that day. Local stations were reading the local tornado emergencies continuously for all the locations in the path of these two dangerous storms. The Weather Channel does not have the resources...or the time...to cover emergencies like that.

Also worth mentioning...when severe weather warnings are issued The Weather Channel rolls crawls on the bottom of the screen. The Weather Channel computers indeed provides these warnings...but guess where those warnings are actually coming from? Yup...the actual warning word-for-word from the local National Weather Service!

* The money taxpayers put into the Weather Service provide services that far exceed what any private company could provide. Dual-Pole Doppler Radar, NOAA Weather Radio, even Hurricane Hunter aircraft, make what get put into our weather service well worth the money. Having weather taken over as a "for profit" service would lead to cutting corners. For example...nobody is going to pay for a plane to go into a hurricane. That information is critical in hurricane forecasts. When a company like Accu-Weather or The Weather Channel make a hurricane forecast...you can bet your last dollar that forecast is made using data from those Hurricane Hunters. While a portion of their forecast is used using good-old American weather knowledge...a larger chunk is used from National Weather Service data.

* And the most important aspect...The National Weather Service is local. Weather information comes from folks in our neighborhood. Not from some big office in a city far away. these forecasters know every community in which they serve. They know how much rain it's going to take to flood the local creek behind someone's house as well as the Tennessee River. They know where geography & topography will have a chance to potentially impact a storm. They work with local emergency managers, television & radio meteorologists, local volunteer Skywarn Spotters & HAM Radio operators & do so on many by a first-name basis. During severe weather events it works like an orchestra to get information out not to interrupt Oprah or the big NASCAR race...but to save lives. I can guarantee this...if they had to rely on The Weather Channel to get the watch or warning they won't turn it off Oprah anyway. You can't take life-saving action if you don't get the life-saving warning first. Everyone, from the weather service on down to those Spotters, were heroes here on April 27th. Do you really think a for-profit company would do the same?

I'll close by asking this...if April 27th were to ever repeat itself overall which organization did the BEST job at warning the public & saving lives? I don't need Jim Cantore a hundred miles away or the Accu-Weather meteorologists predicting days in advance how bad it could get. I'll take that simple tornado warning issued from the terminals at UAH by the dedicated, hard-working staff of OUR National Weather Service office. It's not about money, & it's not about ratings...it's about saving lives.

So now the next question...do we really need Iain Murray & David Bier writing opinion posts at Fox News?

Hey I'm just sayin'...

- J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-08-24T10:40:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...While Alabama will miss out on all the affect with Hurricane Irene, the hurricane will help push some drier air into the southeast through the weekend. This will keep us less humid & just a bit cooler...as well as eliminate the threat of afternoon thunderstorms as well. Get out & enjoy it!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 92.
Friday Night...Clear skies. Low 67.
Saturday...Sunny. High 91.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 66.
Sunday...Sunny. High 90.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-08-17T06:52:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...After several days of below normal temperatures this week typical summertime weather returns this weekend. We'll see party cloudy skies through the weekend with a small chance of a shower or thunderstorm each afternoon. High will be in the low to mid 90s with lows back near 70.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 91.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 71.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 94.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 70.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 92.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Severe Weather & Social Media

2011-08-16T01:45:00.002-05:00

I was talking with a few friends the other day about the April 27th tornado outbreak. The question was posed as to my opinion as to what was the one thing, good or bad, that I took away from the outbreak that could be used during the next weather disaster.

The answer to that question is much easier than most might think.

With out hesitation, two words answer the question quite easily...social media.

During the event, platforms like Facebook & Twitter were used to crank out the latest warnings, school closings, and other emergency information that became vital during the outbreak. With the number of power outages through the state that day, Facebook became the only way many folks got up-to-date warnings through their cell phones & laptops. My Facebook page alone that day posted well over 200 severe weather warnings statewide...including nearly 150 tornado warnings.

After the event social media was the place to hear what stores were open, where folks could buy gas, or get emergency supplies. Many of the power outages through the state lasted four to five days or more.

So why do a blog post on this? It's quite simple...there are an amazing number of folks in the media that refuse to get a Facebook or Twitter account. It's almost to the point it's an embarrassment not to have one. Many of these folks are chief meteorologists in towns you're probably reading this from. Most of these folks have followed the same weather routine for years...& just refuse to try something new that affects the way they've done business for 20 years or more in the markets they work.

The fact is television news is a dying business. Ratings for local newscasts are at an all-time low. Their competition falls to the hundreds of cable channels...including many that are 24-hour news & weather. Those who don't flock to those networks get their news from right here on the internet. The number of people on social media sites within a station's market are far more than the highest number of viewers a local station is ever going to get to watch the news at 6.

I can't help but wonder during a tornado outbreak...or a landfalling hurricane how these meteorologists are going to play it. They could get an account set-up just ahead of the storm...but that would be futile. There would not be enough time for followers to find the page before the storm hits.

Just gets to the point you hear about the awesome new doppler rader or the new high definition weather graphics. None of that makes a lick of difference when all your viewers have turned you off & are getting the latest info on Facebook. If there's no engagement with your viewers before the storm, I guarantee you'll have far less viewers to engage with after the storm.

It more than ratings...it's about saving lives. The meteorologist across town is probably on Facebook right now preparing their viewers for the next weather event...are you?

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-08-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The same weather we've experienced this week will continue through the weekend. An old frontal boundary will hang around the Tennessee Valley through the weekend. With afternoon heating this will spark showers & thunderstorms each afternoon. Any thunderstorms that develop will be capable of damaging wind gusts & perhaps small hail. The good news...temperatures will continue to hang around near normal levels. Highs will range from the upper 80s through the low 90s throughout the weekend. Outdoor activities for the most part will be fine...but be prepared to move indoors if storms threaten your location in the afternoons.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 92.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of thunderstorms early. Low 72.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 91.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of thunderstorms early. Low 70.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 50% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 89.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Weekend Forecast

2011-08-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

I just finished getting the forecast sent over to about.com. Usually I copy and paste it over to this page. I am unable to post the forecast in the usual format due to limited resources this week.

The weekend forecast for north Alabama will continue to be hot. Partly cloudy skies through the entire weekend. Highs will be 98 Friday, 97 Saturday, and 94 on Sunday. There will be a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms each day. Overnight lows will be in the mid 70s.

Stay cool...and have a great weekend everyone!

-J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-07-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...If you love typical summertime weather you'll love this weekend's forecast. Unlike this week we will see slightly better chances of showers & thunderstorms this weekend in the afternoons. Best chances look to be Friday & Saturday. Temperatures will be near or slightly above normal with highs in the low to mid 90s. Heat index values will be in the 100-103 range during the afternoon each day away from thunderstorms.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 92.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 74.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 93.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 75.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 96.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-07-20T09:52:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The high pressure ridge which has been responsible for the late-week heat should begin to retreat on Friday which will bring in slightly cooler temperatures & better chances for storms in the afternoons. The heat index Friday could still be in the 105-107 range before dropping to the 100-103 range for Friday & Saturday. Any storms that form will be capable of gusty winds, vivid lightning & torrential rains.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 96.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 73.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 93.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 71.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 50% chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High 92.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Now On Google +

2011-07-17T00:37:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to announce I'm now over on Google +...in addition to Facebook, a Facebook fan page & Twitter. Any aspiring meteorologist, especially those wanting to get into the media field, has almost certainly got to master all platforms of social media. For the time being I'm not really posting much weather stuff there...I thought it would be fun to experiment with something new.

I am not...& have no plans to stop using Facebook. Facebook was a major lifeline during the April 27th tornado outbreak...& those pages will go on as usual...including automated watches & warnings to my profile as they are issued for any county in north Alabama round the clock.

If you're on Google+ already...feel free to hit me up! Of course my Facebook page & my weather page are open too!

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-07-13T05:38:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Hazy, hot, & humid conditions will continue through the weekend as more typical summertime weather returns to the Tennessee Valley. The area of high pressure that caused the extreme heat earlier has retreated to the west putting the Tennessee Valley into a more normal pattern. Temperatures are back to normal for this time of year...& the chances of afternoon thunderstorms through the weekend sit at about 1 in 3. Any storms that develop will be capable of vivid lightning, gusty winds, & brief heavy downpours.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 93.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy with showers & storms ending early. Low 73.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 92
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy with showers & storms ending early. Low 72.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High 93.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Ten Years Ago Today...

2011-07-06T12:05:00.003-05:00

I was living in Florence, SC ten years ago...but remember the day like it was yesterday. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon. I was flipping through the channels on television that afternoon & came across WPDE when the usual program was not running...but instead Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski was on the air broadcasting this...

Here is video of this tornado near ground zero...

Ed Piotrowski left a message on my Facebook page this morning & asked me to share he experience for that day. You can read his blog by clicking here. Here is what he wrote about this amazing storm...

"There's a tornado on the ground in Myrtle Beach."

That's exactly what I said in a calm voice to my boss, Victoria Spechko, after a tornado went directly over our weather center at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion on July 6, 2001. It's hard to believe it's been ten years since that day. A day I and thousands of others will never forget.

That afternoon started like any other summer afternoon. It was hot and humid and a few storms were already popping up around the area. As I watched the storms develop on radar, I noticed the Columbia doppler radar was down for maintenance so I relied solely on the Wilmington doppler radar. All of a sudden, as if the radar had been turned off, I lost all data from that site as well. It turns out the radar had been knocked out by lightning from the very storm that would produce the tornado in Myrtle Beach. Talk about a series of unfortunate events. From a radar perspective, I was now flying blind.

About 15-20 minutes later, I got a call from a frantic lady who swears a tornado had just passed by their hotel on 28th Avenue North. Other calls came in with reports of power poles being snapped. I was a bit skeptical. Tornadoes are rare in the first place, and we were also way past our primary tornado season. But with no radar to reference, I went outside on the back deck of the weather center to take a look. From that spot, I had an ideal view of the north end of the Grand Strand.

Utterly shocked, I saw a water spout/tornado coming ashore between 10th and 15th avenues north heading right for the Pavilion and our office! I ran inside, told the Pavilion management what was unfolding then turned our tower camera northward to get a view. Immediately, the wind started howling and our only window was being blasted by sand from the beach that was being sucked toward the tornado.

Was I nervous, even scared? Sure I was. Since becoming a meteorologist in 1990, I've dealt with many hurricanes, but never a tornado going directly over my office!

I didn't hesitate to do what I tell everyone else to do. I took cover in the small, interior bathroom in the office. It seemed like I was in there for an eternity, but it turns out I was there for only about a minute! Once the roaring sound of the wind subsided, I rushed outside, looked up and was stunned to see this magnificent funnel reaching from the cloud to the ground near 5th Avenue North, just 3 blocks south of me. This thing was big...MUCH bigger than when I first saw it north of the Pavilion.

From there, my meteorological instincts took over. I got on the phone with my boss and she immediately got me on the air with anchors Allyson Floyd and Keith Sterling. Our tower camera had a perfect shot of a large tornado moving south through Myrtle Beach. We were able to share it live with everyone watching. Over the next 30-45 minutes, the tornado hopped back and forth between the ocean and land before becoming obscured by rain and lifting near Springmaid Resort.

The whole thing was so surreal.

The Myrtle Beach tornado was rated an F2 with winds estimated at 150 mph. That week is typically one of the busiest tourism weeks of the entire season. Incredibly, no one was killed and the 35 injuries were all minor. Damage topped $8 million with most of it centered near the Bar Harbor hotel and Springmaid Resort.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-07-06T11:46:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...We'll have a cold front in the Tennessee Valley early in the weekend. Friday is looking wet with rain most of the day. In fact some localized flash flooding may be possible. The front clears for Saturday...though we could see some storms in the afternoon with the heat of the day. By Sunday high pressure will be in firm control. The heat will return & the chance of any storms will be very small. The heat will hang around for most of the upcoming work week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with showers & thunderstorms through the day. High 88. Chance of rain 70%.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms early. Low 69.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon shower or storm. High 92.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 71.
Sunday...Mostly sunny. High 96.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-06-29T12:58:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...One word to describe the holiday weekend forecast...hot! High pressure will be parked over the Tennessee Valley which will mean sunny days & a cap in place to prevent storms from developing through Friday. On Saturday the high will move just far enough away we could get some afternoon storms to fire. The chance however is very small...& most fireworks shows will go on without a hitch. If we do get storms they will be brief and gone rather quickly. Enjoy the extended holiday weekend...but stay cool!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny & hot. High 96.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 68.
Saturday...Sunny. High 98.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 71.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 98.
Sunday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of a storm early. Low 71.
Fourth of July...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 99.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-06-22T11:22:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The weather we've seen much of this week will continue through the weekend. We will see dry periods each day...but showers & thunderstorms will become more numerous by late in the day especially early in the weekend. A few storms could get locally strong to near severe levels with damaging winds and small hail. We'll continue to be hot...but not quite as hot as last week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High 88.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms mainly early. Low 70.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 89.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms mainly early. Low 70.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 90.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-06-15T12:37:00.002-05:00

Quick weekend forecast today due to ongoing severe weather issues....

Friday...Mostly cloudy & hot with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 95.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 68.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 97.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 70..
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 98.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-06-08T11:52:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...More hazy, hot and humid weather expected through the weekend with no real changes to the forecast from the last several days. The high pressure that has been in control will break down just a bit over the weekend...so I'm raising rain chances a little to about 1 in 3 each day. Still more likely most areas will stay dry. As always...be sure to wear sunscreen & drink plenty of water if outdoors through the weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 93.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 69.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 93.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 70.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 94.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-06-01T08:43:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...If you've liked the weather so far this week you'll love the weekend. A massive dome of high pressure will remain in control giving us lots of sun as well as lots of heat. Temperatures in through the weekend will be in the mid to upper 90s with some isolated triple digits possible. There will be a very small chance of an afternoon thunderstorm each day. Those chances will be around 1 in 5 at best. Be sure to drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids if outdoors this weekend. Heat Advisories may be issued each day through the weekend by the National Weather Service.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 96.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 69.
Saturday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 96.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 70.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. High 97.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-05-24T22:59:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The back end of a disturbance will be exiting the area on Friday. A few light showers or sprinkles will be possible with that on Friday. We clear out a bit Friday night. This will leave us with partly cloudy skies Saturday through Memorial Day. Highs will be in the mid 80s Friday...but the heat will really turn up by Monday. Same areas could get close to the mid 90s for the first time this year. Rain will be unlikely after Friday.

My official Tennessee Valley extended holiday weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy. Isolated light showers possible. High 85. Rain chance 30%.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 67.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 88.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 68.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 90.
Sunday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 68.
Memorial Day...Partly cloudy. High 92.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Dangerous Forecasts Require Dangerous Wording

2011-05-18T01:07:00.002-05:00

I've had the opportunity to review a bit more of the forecasts leading up to and during the super tornado outbreak on April 27th. I want to be totally clear on something...the forecasts a week ahead of April 27th were calling for a potentially dangerous severe weather outbreak. I've seen the look of that on the models many times in the nearly five years I've called the Tennessee Valley home. Sometimes the forecast would nearly pan out...sometimes the system would fall apart a day or two ahead of time. We've seen several moderate & high risk severe weather days bust in that time.

Sadly...On April 27th the forecast panned out perfectly. We knew days ahead of time if we saw the forecast parameters we ended up seeing it was going to be a bad day. Wintertime wind shear plus summertime instability always equal springtime hell. As was the case that day.

I've heard many meteorologists say the hardest part of forecasting on television is doing forecasts with the same weather day after day without change while trying not to sound like a broken record. Now I disagree...I now think it's preparing viewers for a major severe weather event & driving home urgency without causing panic & anxiety.

It is important to understand, even in an event like we had, the overall odds of a tornado hitting your exact location is small. On the back side of that...if you see a tornado the damage can be extreme.

In a forecast like this it's not about spreading panic...it's about getting people prepared. I don't like overplaying small events...but I will never, ever underplay a big event. While the loss of life was extremely high...with all the tornadoes in the state it could have been far worse. There were many people killed that actually took cover in the right place...but did not make it because we saw the type of tornadoes that were truly only survivable underground.

One other point...I've always tried to drive home both here on the blog & on my Facebook page...is to always have a way to get watches & warnings & to never rely on tornado sirens for a warning. April 27th really drove this point home. I've seen several interviews on television of people who said they did not hear a warning before the tornado hit. This to me is the most frustrating point of all. Every single large tornado in Alabama had a tornado warning with an average 20 minute lead time. Some of these warning were extremely strongly worded with words like "emergency" "dangerous" and "life threatening". The National Weather Service did a tremendous job getting these warnings out with all of the cells in the area at once.

As I mentioned yesterday Madison County saw 29 tornado warnings with this system. The outdoor warning sirens stopped functioning around tornado warning #20 with the loss of power. Folks in the Harvest area did NOT...as WAS NOT going to hear a siren before the massive tornado struck the area. Those that only relied on tornado sirens had no chance with a tornado a half mile wide & 200 mph winds spinning at them at 60 mph. When the sirens did work we had so many tornado warnings in the county the system was rendered useless anyway as they could have sounded for eight hours straight with all the warnings. Now I will stress it even more...forget the sirens. Get a weather radio, Weathercall, follow me on Facebook. Just get your warning for a source other than sirens. Sadly...I fear there were fatalities in the state because folks were waiting for a siren before taking cover...then got the tornado with no siren. I promise...all of the warnings were there. It's a matter of getting them AND taking cover.

Had to vent a little here. That "we didn't get the warning" thing puzzles me...especially on this event.

-J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-05-18T00:37:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...High pressure will remain in control through the first part of the weekend as temperatures begin to rise closer to normal levels for late May. A front will try to inch closer to the area on Saturday. There is a small chance of a shower Saturday...but most if not all areas will stay dry. Front will be close enough to increase our rain chances to about 1 in 3 on Sunday. Rain chances may increase further on Monday. In fact a few strong storms will be possible on Monday. Something we'll keep a close eye on...but for now the threat of a widespread severe weather event is extremely low.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 85.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 62.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 86.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy. Low 66.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% of showers & thunderstorms. High 87.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Amazing Tornado Videos

2011-05-16T21:49:00.002-05:00

This list is by far not all in-conclusive...but here's just a sampling of some of the videos from April 27th. First of all...Michael Wilhelm's amazing point-blank video of the Tuscaloosa tornado...

James Spann's Coverage of this same tornado from ABC 33/40...

James Spann's Coverage of the second Cullman tornado from ABC 33/40...

WAFF Huntsville coverage of Hackleburg EF-5 tornado...

WHNT Huntsville coverage of Hackleburg EF-5 tornado...

WAFF Huntsville coverage of east Limestone-Harvest tornado...

WHNT Huntsville coverage of east Limestone-Harvest tornado...

Will post more later...

-J.P.

Tornado Outbreak Numbers

2011-05-16T21:15:00.003-05:00

It's been almost three weeks since that terrible day on April 27th. Even now...it's still hard for me to wrap my arms around this event. The fatalities, the injuries, the damage, & the sheer insane numbers of the outbreak are just so overwhelming. Usually just seeing a few tornadoes in north Alabama...even a few as 4 or 5, is considered a major tornado outbreak for our area. The types of numbers this system produced may be the equivalent of six to as many as ten years worth of severe weather in some parts of the state. Here a little breakdown of how it went on April 27'th...

As of right now, 53 tornadoes have been confirmed in the state of Alabama. This by far is the biggest outbreak in state history. It is very likely more tornadoes will be confirmed in upcoming days & weeks. When added to the other tornadoes in the state in the month of April (which saw another healthy outbreak earlier in the month), so far 98 tornadoes have been confirmed for the month in the state. That number is higher than the total number of tornadoes in any YEAR in the state of Alabama. 94 tornadoes touched down in the state in 2008.

The National Weather Service in Huntsville issued 92 tornado warnings during the day (2 of those 92 were issued by the Jackson, MS office as the Huntsville office was evacuated just after 5 pm that day due to a tornado threat near UAH). Of those 92 tornado warnings, an incredible 29 warnings were issued for Madison County. Madison County averages about 4.5 tornado warnings per year. Thus this system produced the total average of seven years worth of tornado warnings...all in about 15 HOURS! They also issued 10 additional severe thunderstorm & 3 flash flood warnings for Madison County of top of the tornado warnings. This is likely a single day record for any county in the entire country.

25 tornado warnings were needed for Morgan County, 23 for Jackson County, 21 for Limestone County, & 18 for Lawrence County.

For the entire state, nearly 140 separate tornado warnings were issued for Alabama counties alone.

StratusStation cameras (tower cams) are stationed in many parts of the state of Alabama...but it is usually big news if even just one of the cameras captures a tornado. On this day THREE separate massive half-mile wide tornadoes were captured on four different cameras within extremely close range. The Tuscaloosa & Birmingham cameras caught the same tornado. Cullman captured one...& the East Limestone camera took a direct hit as did the radar, owned by WAFF-TV 48, which was located where the camera was. That tornado destroyed the camera & the radar.

The Weather Channel's Dr. Greg Forbes issued a TOR-CON of 10 for north & central Alabama. This, to my knowledge, is the first time the TOR-CON has ever gone to 10 since he's used that as a forecast parameter.

The term "tornado emergency" was used more than any other tornado outbreak in history. At one point the tornado in east Limestone into northern Madison County actually increased that wording...prompting the first known "significant tornado emergency".

At this point...we are still likely weeks away from the final tally of this super outbreak. While not impossible, it may be very unlikely we'll see another outbreak of this size in our lifetimes.

Some amazing videos have surfaced of the tornadoes themselves & of some of the local & national TV coverage...much of which has not been seen by many in north Alabama that day due to the massive power failure from one of the tornadoes. I'll post some of those tonight or tomorrow.

-J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-05-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Our weather will be cooler...but very unsettled as we go through the weekend. A strong cold front will approach the area on Friday. This will spark some showers & thunderstorms. We will have to keep a close eye on these as a few could pack a punch...but the severe weather threat looks low at this time. The front will pass by...but stall close enough to keep rain through the forecast all weekend. It won't rain all day Saturday & Sunday...but rain & perhaps a storm or two will be possible. While we'll likely be in the 80s Friday...we will dip well into the 70s on Saturday & Sunday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 70% chance of showers & thunderstorms. A few storms could be locally strong. High 81.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 61.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 76.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. Low 58.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. High 72.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-05-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 76.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 53.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 79.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 59.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 85.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

We Are Alabama...The Tornado Outbreak And How You Can Help!

2011-05-03T18:20:00.003-05:00

It seems in everyone's life there is one day where you know exactly where you were when it happened. Let there be little doubt if you live in the Tennessee Valley, across Alabama, or much of the southeast 25 years from now you'll remember April 27, 2011. This day joins April 3-4, 1974, November 15, 1989, December 16, 2000 and several other dark weather days in our state's history.

I've lived through two significant weather events in my life...September 22, 1989 (Hurricane Hugo - Sumter, SC) and July 5, 1994 (Alberto flooding in Center Georgia). In the end I think both of those events, while significant, were really nothing compared to Wednesday. In my life I've never seen a swarm of tornadoes anywhere in the United States, including tornado alley, like I saw in Alabama.

...And I sure hope I never see it again.

This event affected everyone across the northern half of Alabama. Didn't matter if you took a direct strike from a tornado or not. If there wasn't tornado damage it was days of power outages. It was lack of getting food & water...& even gas. If was your everyday local radio station & cell phones becoming in some cases the only lifeline for many even during the latter stages of the tornado outbreak and the aftermath. Tornado sirens no longer functioning in many counties to warn residents of new tornado warnings while several half-mile wide funnels continued across the entire state. It was curfews...sundown to sunrise. It was 31 counties, out of 67 in Alabama, declared federal disaster areas.

But the silver lining...it was neighbors helping neighbors.

So far at least 250 people have lost their lives due to this terrible outbreak in Alabama...& thousands were injured.

I, like many other Alabamians, totally broke down the day after. I've had several friends lose everything in the outbreak. Co-workers and close friends. Everyone I knew survived the fury & chaos...but have a very long rebuilding phase ahead of them. Those friends are very strong...& I have their back. With God's help they will pull through.

To those on a national level this seems to be only a Tuscaloosa issue. We all know it's more than that...far more. There were more than a dozen tornadoes in our state rated EF-3 or higher...including two EF-5 tornadoes. It's not just Tuscaloosa & Birmingham...it's also Cullman, Phil Campbell, Tanner, Bridgeport, Hillsboro, Rainsville, Hackleburg, Arab, and several more Alabama communities. While not as populated hit just as hard, if not harder...& need our support.

I will be posting some incredible video in the days ahead both here & on my Facebook page...but I wanted to make a post to encourage everyone who reads this...whether in Huntsville, across the state, or even across the Nation to please help our neighbors across Alabama out. Our Governor has established an Emergency Relief Fund to help aid those who were affected by the tornadoes in our state. You can click here for information including a link where you can make a donation.

My prayers go out to everyone in our state who were affected by these terrible storms. Thank you for reading...& God Bless Alabama!

- J.P.

Complete And Total Devestation

2011-04-28T04:09:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to make a quick post to let everyone know I made it through the tornado outbreak in Alabama today. I am, like all of Huntsville, without power for 3-5 days. I have never, anywhere, seen a swarm of tornadoes like I saw today. I will have a full posting on this historic outbreak once we get power restored. Here's a few things from today in shotgun formation...

As I type this, the death toll in Alabama is up to 64.

This outbreak will come close to the Superoutbreak in 1974 as far as number of tornadoes is concerned.

NWS Huntsville issued nearly 100 tornado warnings and 20 tornado emergencies.

NWS Huntsville and Birmingham were both evacuated due to tornado threats at some point during the event.

WAFF Live Doppler 48 was completely destroyed by a tornado in eastern Limestone County.
Madison County was placed under 13 tornado warnings. 5 of those included Madison and Huntsville.

Tuscaloosa and Cullman both took direct strikes from tornadoes. The Tuscaloosa tornado will like be an EF4 or EF5.

I will summarize more in a few days. My sincere prayers go out to everyone affected by this outbreak.

-J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-04-27T10:31:00.002-05:00

Shortened forecast due to ongoing severe weather issues.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 77.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 55.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 81.
Saturday Night...Fair. Low 58.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 83.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Special Post To Those In The Carolinas...

2011-04-24T01:34:00.004-05:00

As I posted a few days ago I had a conference call with WPDE-TV 15 Chief Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski on Tuesday. Ed has always been one to stay on the front side of weather technology. The one thing we share in common is the absolute must on getting severe weather warnings out as many ways possible and in a timely manner. Ed was first with Live Doppler 15000, Live Neighborhood Weathernet, and WPDE WeatherCall.

For those of you in Sumter, Florence, Myrtle Beach, Lumberton and surrounding areas, the next weather safety advantage has been introduced...and all you need is a Facebook account!

The new tool...live watches and warnings posted right to your main Facebook page. If you sign up for the SMS feature those warnings can also be sent to your cell phone too. Alerts are sent to you within seconds from issuance...and you can select only the counties you want...so you don't get warnings for an area that don't concern your immediate area.

Here's the best part...it's absolutely FREE!!!

This system works in any county in the WPDE-TV 15 viewing area. In South Carolina those counties are Chesterfield, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Florence, Darlington, Dillon & Marlboro. And in North Carolina the counties of Columbus, Robeson, Richmond & Scotland.

To sign-up simply sign-in to your Facebook page and click here for the county list. From there simply click "like" for the county or counties you want alerts from. You can select just one, several, or all. It's a good idea to select yours plus one county all the way around yours so you know what's going on in the neighborhood. That's all there is to it!

Of course you can always follow my friend Ed at his page here. Just click "like". If you sign up feel free to let him know I sent you! ;)

For those of you in Alabama you can send me a friend request here. My page post watches and warnings for north & central Alabama as soon as they are issued by the National Weather Service. Those are also automatic & post immediately 24 hours a day 7 days a week whether I'm online or not.

Isn't technology great?!?!

- J.P.

Question From The Mailbag...

2011-04-24T01:18:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to do a piece on last weekend's tornado outbreak across the south & especially in the states of Alabama and North Carolina. What's stopping me from embarking on that is the National Weather Service is overwhelmed with storm surveys due to the strength and vast number of tornadoes from the event. Once I have a better grasp of that I'll put a review up on the blog. In the meantime it is apparent that folks have been watching & paying attention the severe weather coverage. I had an e-mail sent to me by a friend in North Carolina asking what a "debris ball" is.

A debris ball, also known as a debris knob, is simply a signature that the radar picks up near a tornado. This signature pretty much is a near-guarantee that a tornado is on the ground. Here is an example of one on radar...

The hook is obviously the tornado signature...but the arrowed is the debris ball. It looks like heavy rain or very large hail very near where the tornado is at...but what the radar is hitting on is actual debris from the tornado. Of course that can be any size from tree branches to bricks to even cars...depending on the size of the tornado. Seeing this on radar is almost always a sure sign of a tornado.

Thanks for the question. Happy Easter everyone!!!

- J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-04-20T10:54:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Looks like things will be a bit calmer this weekend compared to last weekend. A front that stalled to our south late this week will wash out on Friday. This will leave a small chance of a storm in the forecast Friday. Otherwise dry conditions are expected until another weak wave of low pressure moves in on Sunday. I put a small chance of rain in the forecast on Sunday...but for now it looks like most areas will stay dry. High will be up into the 80s & lows in the low 60s for the weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers or a thunderstorm. High 81.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 61.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 82.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 62.
Sunday...Partly cloudy with 1 30% chance of showers or a thunderstorm. High 83.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Time Well Spent With a Carolina Weather Legend

2011-04-19T02:35:00.003-05:00

Before coming to Alabama in 2006 I spent most of the previous 20 years in eastern South Carolina. While there I got to see many meteorologists come & go in three different markets...Columbia, Charleston, & Florence-Myrtle Beach. At the same time there are some meteorologists that have spent most or all of those years on the air (who I all highly respect). In Columbia it's Jim Gandy. In Charleston it's Rob Fowler & Bill Walsh. And in the Florence market it the man who I had the pleasure to talk with tonight.

He's the Chief Meteorologist at WPDE-TV 15 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Ed Piotrowski. In my seven-plus years in Florence I got to see him in action covering numerous tropical systems, the Florence hailstorm in 2000 (the largest in South Carolina history), and probably his most memorable weather event, the Myrtle Beach tornadoes in 2001.

We've had a chance to talk several times on IM chat during weather events...& of course he is coming off working a severe weather outbreak on Saturday. Thankfully the event was not as brutal in South Carolina as it was just to the north. The fact is if the tornadoes formed just a couple hours earlier whet happened in North Carolina likely hits in his market.

Really was great to share some ideas with each other. He's looking for ways to make his station's great weather coverage even better...& me learning from the best in the business in hopes to make it a full-time career in the future. Those of you in the Carolinas who follow this blog are very fortunate to have Ed in your market. He is the authority on Pee Dee and Grand Strand weather.

Be sure to click "like" on his Facebook page...& if you're ever in Myrtle Beach...be sure to get your beach forecast from him at WPDE.

Tornado Outbreak Possible Friday

2011-04-14T01:34:00.002-05:00

I usually hate to use the word outbreak more than 36 hours before the onset of a severe weather event...but pretty much based on current model data & thinking from some of the best severe weather forecasters on the planet...this is where we're at for Friday afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center has already outlooked much of Alabama into a Moderate Risk for severe thunderstorms. This is generally along & west of the U.S. 431 corridor. East of that there is a slight risk...but on the upper end of that scale. there is some possibility of that moderate risk expanding further east later...or even for parts of the moderate risk to be upgraded to a high risk.

As it looks now...some early day thunderstorms are possible Friday morning. These will not expected to be severe...& should be out of the area by Noon. By early to mid afternoon it is likely several storms will develop in Mississippi and perhaps western Alabama. With the very strong wind fields these are very likely to become supercells capable of damaging winds, very large hail up to the size of baseballs, & perhaps long-track tornadoes. These eventually will track into the Tennessee Valley through the afternoon & evening. By late evening a squall line will come through with more damaging winds & large hail...& perhaps quick spin-up tornadoes. Once this line passes your location the threat of severe thunderstorms will be over.

Right now I'm putting timing between 1 pm and 1 am Saturday morning.

With excellent weather in the forecast Thursday it will be a good time to review your tornado safety plan & get fresh batteries for the weather radio for Friday afternoon and evening. It will be very important to stay close to a reliable source for weather information as tornado watches & warnings will be likely through the day.

I'll continue to post updates as we get closer to Friday afternoon.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-04-13T11:48:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The weekend will start stormy Friday as another cold front approaches. This system will be very much like Monday with at least a damaging wind threat Friday afternoon & evening. There will be a threat of tornadoes as well as storms could develop ahead of the main squall line. Once we get that out of here the rest of the weekend looks perfect with plenty of sunshine.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with a 90% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Some storms could be severe. High 76.
Friday Night...Cloudy with an 80% chance of showers & storms tapering to showers very late. Some storms could be severe especially before Midnight. Low 52.
Saturday...Cloudy early becoming mostly sunny late. High 66.
Saturday Night...Clear skies. Low 42.
Sunday...Sunny. High 75.

Headed to the spring games at Alabama & Auburn Saturday? Weather will be great for both events. Lots of sun with highs in the upper 60s to near 70.

Headed to Talladega for race weekend? Weather should be excellent for Saturday & Sunday with highs near 70 Saturday & in the upper 70s on Sunday. Please note if you're camping at or near the track on Friday evening to remain weather aware as severe weather is likely there.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Tornado Detection And The Warning Process

2011-04-13T02:13:00.000-05:00

Lots of chatter on local message boards & blogs on the handling of Monday's severe weather situation in Alabama. If I could use one word to describe the action as it was happening...chaos would fit it perfectly.

Went to bed Sunday Night thinking the severe weather threat was marginal to slight. By late Monday morning the Storm Prediction Center placed much of Alabama into a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds the main threat. Some schools elected to close early (superintendents that did should be reprimanded). Then it was utter confusion on the placement of tornado watches. Then as it looked as if north Alabama might not see a watch...a tornado watch was suddenly issued. For the Tennessee Valley...no tornado warnings were issued for this event. For the Birmingham market...several tornado warnings were needed for very marginal tornadic storms.

Due to tornado warnings, James Spann at ABC 33/40 in Birmingham was forced to do long-form coverage during "Dancing With The Stars"...one of the highest-rated shows on the ABC network. He wrote a blog post on his ordeal & his thinking. You can read that post here.

The whole issue boils down to this...the Alabama false alarm ratio for tornado warnings is somewhere between 80 and 85 percent. The National Weather Service issues a tornado warning on a very borderline storm. Storm spotters are reporting strong winds but no rotation. TV guys are going to interrupt programming to talk about this marginal threat while EMA directors sound tornado sirens for the entire county when only a piece of a county is affected.

This is the problem in a nutshell. Nobody is on the same page. And until the NWS, the media, & the EMA all get on the same page...whether they go severe thunderstorm warnings or tornado warnings in these instances, it's never going to get fixed. The FAR will continue to rise, & complacency amongst residents in tornado prone areas will continue to rise.

As James Spann mentioned...not all tornado warnings are the same. If the National Weather Service continues to use "whack-a-mole" tornado warnings it might be up to the media to go warning crawls & short break-ins instead of long-form coverage...& use the long-form for the more significant events. WAAY-TV 31 here in Huntsville has been using this process & it seems to be working for them. On the back side of that the EMA offices really need to get the sirens on the polygon system...& to be honest if they can't do that I'd just assume see them not use the sirens at all until then as this is just piling onto the FAR as well as the complacency.

I am not endorsing who or where you should get your warnings from. It's just a matter of getting everyone involved to get onto the same page on how to proceed with a weather system like we had on Monday.

Did I mention there may be another one on Friday very much like Monday's?

Post Of Support For Close Family Member

2011-04-07T02:52:00.003-05:00

This post is only half weather-related...but is a close family member it's a post I felt I needed to make.

It concerns my younger sister Nancy. She's had to endure so much in the last two months than anyone should in their lifetime.

It was just seven short weeks ago her husband, of only six months, died in his sleep suddenly of a heart attack. I found out the news coming home from visitation with my son in South Carolina just as I arrived back into town. As soon as I got home I re-packed clothes turned right around and headed for central Georgia (she lives just south of Macon). The one thing I saw from her husband in the short amount of time they were married was my little sister wasn't so little anymore. The short time James knew Nancy he complete changed her as a human being for the better. She was handling things so strongly that it made her brother proud. The preacher at the funeral hit the nail on the head so well...my father, who hasn't likely attended church regularly in some 60 years, hasn't missed a Sunday service with Nancy yet. It's amazing how many great things came out of such tragedy & turmoil from that terrible Saturday Night in February.

She has struggled to turn the corner the last few weeks...but has held up extremely well under the circumstances.

Then Tuesday morning...her home was hit by a tornado.

Thankfully...she remembered one piece of advice I give everyone in a tornado warning...interior room, lowest floor. She got herself & her dog into the closet just in time to avoid the tornado. Her home suffered minor damage...but she lost virtually every tree on her property. One tree just missed her car...while another narrowly missed the house. He car is still trapped in the driveway between downed trees & power has not been restored.

I wanted to make this post as a reminder to her that we are all still behind you 100% Nancy. All of us in the family have been praying for you. Things will get better...& time will eventually heal. I am very, very proud of how you have handled yourself. God is watching over you...I guarantee it!

I know this isn't a regular post...but with all the support Nancy has given me recently in my life I felt like it was time to return the favor.

I love you sis!!!!!

- J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-04-06T14:22:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Unsettled is the work for the weekend weather as several short waves will hang around our area. There will be a chance of showers & thunderstorms each day. On Sunday a much stronger cold front will approach the area. Showers & thunderstorms will break out in the Tennessee Valley by late afternoon. Some of these storms will have the potential to reach severe levels by late Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. The good news...we'll remain warm with afternoon highs into the 80s each day.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 81.
Friday Night...Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low 64.
Saturday...Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 82.
Saturday Night...Cloudy with showers ending early. Low 62.
Sunday...Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Storms could be severe by late afternoon. High 82.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-03-30T10:48:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...A fairly tranquil weekend is in store as well as a big warm-up on Sunday. a front will be exiting on Friday. We'll have a chance of some light rain showers on Friday. We begin to clear out Friday night. Saturday & Sunday look great. We will be near 70 Saturday & in the mid 70s on Sunday. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend...we will likely be dealing with strong storms on Monday or Tuesday next week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. High 64.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy with showers ending early. Low 44.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 68.
Saturday Night...Fair. Low 48.
Sunday...Partly cloudy & warmer. High 76.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Skywarn Spotters And False Reporting

2011-03-29T21:23:00.002-05:00

After many years of weather forecasting improvements ranging from more accurate computer models to doppler radar, ask any National Weather Service forecaster and they will tell you one of the most valuable tools they still rely on today is ground truth evidence. There is still no tool available today that can tell you exactly what is happening underneath a thunderstorm...or more importantly whether or not rotation inside a thunderstorm is actually reaching the ground. While Skywarn Spotters are not paid they provide in many cases a life-saving service in letting the weather service know what is happening so they can get the appropriate warning out to neighborhoods & towns that are in the storm's path.

This is what really irks me about an incident that happened during Saturday's severe weather event. let me briefly let you know what occurred...

Saturday Night the National Weather Service Office in Birmingham detected rotation in a thunderstorm in Walker County. They elected to issue a tornado warning for Walker & northern Jefferson County including the northern part of Birmingham. Local TV stations showed what looked like a funnel cloud very close to the ground backlit by sharp, intense lightning. A well-known storm spotter who is dedicated, well-respected & in my opinion one of the best at what he does was near the storm. This is where confusion really began in a very tense situation.

For some reason...some idiot phones the National Weather Service & claims to be "this spotter" and made a false report in his name of a "large wedge tornado" headed right for Birmingham. The forecaster on duty issues a special statement (strongly worded) to warn folks in north Birmingham to take cover as a big tornado is reported on the ground (stopping just short of issuing a tornado emergency). Of course there is NO tornado on the ground and the rotation weakened quickly afterwards.

Really not sure what the prankster was trying to pull doing this...but he is a flat-out idiot. If his goal was to ruin the reputation of the spotter he failed. Everyone in media & folks like me know better. But the damage honesty goes much further than that...

First of all...the next time a real spotter trying to protect lives calls in to the weather service with a real report...the forecast will take extra time to possibly scrutinize the report. This could lead to extra seconds or even minutes wasted for a possible life-saving warning to be issued. After seeing the tornado in Huntsville January 21, 2010 I would feel horrible, when calling in to make the tornado report if the NWS felt like they needed to verify the report first. If the tornado stays on the ground over Chapman Mountain it would have gone through multiple large neighborhoods in northeast Huntsville. That was a tornado on the ground & not a radar-based warning. To many folks that is a HUGE difference.

What really ticks me off the most are the emergency workers. They are getting the same reports of a wedge tornado. Thus they are getting ready to head quickly to the impact zone prepared to fight fires, help folks that need medical attention, protect the public from downed trees & power lines, or to help people that could get trapped under rubble. Not to mention this could divert attention to other possible emergencies that could be ongoing.

It really bothers me that the perpetrator very likely has attended spotter training in the past. He had the number to call the NWS in Birmingham. I really think he was trying to do one of two things...1. Ruin the reputation of one of the best storm spotters in the country...or 2. Was trying to get the NWS in Birmingham to put out a tornado emergency. I know number two sounds crazy...but I have heard of folks "fudging" a report in hopes of getting a tornado warning issued.

On behalf of all storm spotters in Alabama who try to do the right thing & putting in some cases our lives on the line to save yours...we'd like to thank you for making our jobs tougher...& to be honest all of our reputations tainted. You are a total embarrassment to the Skywarn program. I for one pray the one you imitated finds out who you are.

Normally I don't go on rants like this...but this deserved some attention. Plus I also wanted to back a friend too. Hang in there!!!

- J.P.

Significant Severe Weather Event Expected Saturday

2011-03-25T20:12:00.002-05:00

We're deep into March...but it appears the severe weather season will really begin to crank up Saturday. A significant severe weather event is taking shape tomorrow. With that there is some potential of a potential tornado outbreak in the Tennessee Valley as well.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed the northern two-thirds of Alabama in a slight risk of severe thunderstorms area mainly for Saturday afternoon & night. This slight-risk area is on the high-end of the slight category. Normally I would post this map...but opted not to tonight as I do expect an upgrade possibly as early as overnight tonight to a moderate risk. Currently the severe weather risk is 30% within 25 miles of any one point in north Alabama...with at least a 10% risk of a significant severe weather event.

A warm front is currently moving north through Alabama...& will reach the Tennessee Valley overnight. Behind this front will be warmer temperatures & higher dewpoints. With that showers & thunderstorms will develop overnight. Heavy rain will be possible through the morning. The storms should remain elevated...which means they will be unlikely to produce severe weather. Wind gusts to 35 mph & perhaps pea-sized hail could be possible however.

The main event will take shape during the afternoon. The morning rain will move into Georgia & the warn front is expected to stall likely somewhere in southern Tennessee. Where the front stalls will play a big part in what happens by late afternoon. The morning rain will leave leftover boundaries...& thunderstorms will re-develop. We will be unstable enough for severe thunderstorm development. If we see any early-afternoon sun we could get dangerously unstable. Supercells will likely form across much of north Alabama. Any of these storms will be capable of producing damaging winds, hail up to two inches in diameter, & tornadoes. A few tornadoes could be strong. Just south of the warm front 25-30 miles we could see numerous storms form capable of tornadoes. With the front stalling there is a possibility of training of tornadic cells across the same counties...thus we could see some counties go under multiple warnings tomorrow. Further south from the warm front all the way into central Alabama tornadoes are possible...but should be less numerous the further south you go from the warm front.

By late evening or early overnight a line of storms will likely develop. These would be capable of damaging winds & large hail....with a lesser tornado threat.

The main timetable for severe thunderstorms tomorrow looks to be between 2 pm and 2 am. It is very likely we will see all of north Alabama placed under a Tornado Watch at some point tomorrow afternoon into at least the evening hours. At this point there is no need to highlight the areas with the highest risk. The risk looks to be equally high across all counties in the Tennessee Valley.

If you have outdoor plans tomorrow be sure you have a way of getting watches & warnings...& be prepared to move to a place of safety quickly as storms could form very quickly in the afternoon. Never rely on outdoor warning sirens. No matter where you are tomorrow be sure to have a plan to get to safety quickly if need be.

Remember you can click here to join my weather page on Facebook. Just click "Like". I will be posting updated information through the event including watches & warnings.

Stay safe everyone!!!

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-03-23T13:22:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...After several days of dry weather we are entering a pattern of more unsettled weather. Friday looks dry as high pressure slides of to the east. A front will approach on Saturday increasing the chance of rain for Saturday, Sunday, & the first part of next week. Neither Saturday or Sunday is looking like a total washout...but be prepared at any time moving activities indoors for a spell each day as some lightning will be likely as well. For now...the severe weather threat looks low.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 66.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers late. Low 51.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with showers & storms likely. High 72. Chance of rain 60%.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers & storms. Low 58.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers & storms. High 74.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-03-16T09:52:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The warmest weather we've seen so far this year is expected headed into the weekend going into next week. With plenty of sun Friday some areas will challenge 80 degrees. We'll have a front approach on Saturday...but it will have very little moisture to work with. It will be cloudy & thus the temperature will be lower on Saturday. Temps will rebound again on Sunday as the sun returns. No rain is expected as it looks now until at least Tuesday of next week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny & warm. High 78.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 53.
Saturday...Becoming mostly cloudy. High 73.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy. Low 52.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 76.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-03-09T12:14:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...An easy weekend forecast is shaping up as the Tennessee Valley will get a chance to dry out from recent rains. High pressure will dominate. We will be cool on Friday as we won't hit 60 degrees. By Saturday & Sunday are looking great with plenty of sunshine and highs well into the 60s.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 58.
Friday Night...Clear & cool. Low 39.
Saturday...Sunny. High 65.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 39.
Sunday...Sunny. High 67.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-03-02T10:52:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...An unsettled weekend is in store as another strong cold front will be headed our way on Friday & Saturday. Just rain expected Friday...but as the front draws closer Friday Night & Saturday rain will become more widespread & thunderstorms will be possible. Some of the storms Saturday could reach severe levels with gusty winds the main threat. We will begin clearing on Sunday afternoon...but it will turn sharply cooler as highs will average about 15 degrees less than Saturday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain late. High 66.
Friday Night...Showers becoming more numerous. A thunderstorm is possible. Low 55. Chance of rain 80%.
Saturday...Showers & storms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 67. Chance of rain 90%.
Saturday Night...Showers & storms early tapering to light rain late. Low 41. Chance of rain 70%.
Sunday...Cloudy with light drizzle early. Skies partially clearing by afternoon. Colder. High 52.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Two Chances Of Severe Thunderstorms

2011-02-23T10:25:00.002-06:00

Wanted to make a quick post as a reminder that we are looking at potentially two chances of severe thunderstorm activity over the next five days.

The first chance will be on Thursday night into very early Friday morning as a cold front approaches. Wind fields will be favorable for severe thunderstorms for the entire Tennessee Valley. The Storm Prediction Center has outlooked north Alabama into a slight risk for severe thunderstorms area for tomorrow night. We do note there is a moderate risk to our west in north Mississippi & west Tennessee towards Memphis. He instability is higher...& a few long track tornadoes will be possible.

Storms should weaken a bit before reaching Alabama thanks to the lower instability. However...any storms that get this far will be capable of 70 mph winds & perhaps a few tornadoes. The tornado threat will be high in Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone & Morgan Counties...although a tornado could occur anywhere across north Alabama. The threat should be over for everyone by 7 am Friday morning.

A second and perhaps more serious severe weather threat is expected as early as Sunday night through Monday for the area. This front will have stronger dynamics & more instability to work with. More severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will be possible here as well. Still too early to see potential impacts...but there is a risk of a potential outbreak with this system. Something we'll keep an eye on through the weekend.

Be sure to have a way to receive warnings Thursday night. Very likely we will see a Tornado Watch for most of the area tomorrow night at some point. Many of these storms could threaten while you are asleep...so keep that in mind. And as always...never rely on outdoor warning sirens to receive a Tornado Warning.

Keep in mind you can follow me on Facebook here...and you can follow my weather page on Facebook here.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-02-23T10:14:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...We are in the the midst of a very unsettled weather pattern in the Tennessee Valley. Friday & Saturday we will be between systems. a cold front will clear early Friday morning. A severe storm or two is possible very early in the morning. Once that passes we will remain cloudy & cool. Clouds will break a bit for Friday night & Saturday before another front approaches on Sunday. Most of Sunday will be dry. Keep in mind Sunday night into Monday we could have another round of severe thunderstorms including isolated tornadoes. Keep that in mind in case warnings are needed..

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers & thunderstorms early. Some storms possibly severe before daybreak. High 62.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 38.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 63.
Saturday Night...Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 49.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of an afternoon shower or thunderstorm. High 72.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Severe Weather Awareness Week Next Week

2011-02-16T09:21:00.002-06:00

Just a reminder Sunday, Feburary 20th begins Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state of Alabama. We do this each year in preperation of the spring severe weather season in Alabama...which occurs in the months of March, April, and May.

The annual statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, Feburary 23rd at 9:30 am. The National Weather Service will do their NOAA weather radio tone alert test then. During the test people will be encouraged to take their tornado safety precautions & think about what you would do if a real Tornado Warning was issued.

Some county EMA offices will likely coordinate at least a regular monthly test of the county tornado sirens then as well. Check with your local EMA office or their website if you are looking for that information.

All the snow we've seen in the Tennessee Valley does not mean more or less severe weather. Obviously with temperatures approaching 70 now that could be a red flag later on in the spring. One strong cold front with temperatures like that could spell outbreak later on. Nothing in the short term but Certainly something that does keep my attention as model data rolls in!

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-02-16T09:08:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...We are in for the best weekend weatherwise so far in 2011. High pressure will be in control for most of the weekend. A very weak shortwave will pass by on Friday night. There will be a small chance of a light shower or two Friday night into Saturday morning. After that we clear for both Saturday & Sunday. Sunday looks spectacular as we'll see plenty of sun & a high approaching 70 degrees. Get out & enjoy it!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 69.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of a shower. Low 49.
Saturday...Cloudy with showers ending early. Clering by afternoon. High 66.
Saturday Night...Clear & cooler. Low 39.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High near 70.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-02-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After what has been a very brutal winter period for the last six weeks it's looking like we are finally moving into a period of moderating temperatures starting this weekend. Sunshine expected through the entire weekend period with warming temperatures. The warming trend should continue well into next week as highs could reach well into the 60s by mid-week. This weekend we should reach the mid 50s by Sunday. Chance of rain or snow this weekend...zero.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. high 43.
Friday Night...Clear & cool. Low 28.
Saturday...Sunny & warmer. High 49.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low near 30.
Sunday...Sunny & warmer. High 55.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-02-02T08:53:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After a few days of mild weather winter has returned to the Tennessee Valley in full force. More cold weather moving back into the valley for the weekend as another system produces more rain for us. There is some chance of seeing some snow early Friday & Saturday mornings...but no accumulation is expected as any period of snow is expected to be brief. We will see more sun & slightly warmer temperatures on Sunday with highs back near the 50 degree mark.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with an 80% chance or rain. Some snow could be mixed in early. No accumulation expected. High 42.
Friday Night...Cloudy with a 50% chance of rain possibly changing to snow late. No accumulation expected. Low 31.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with a flurry or two early. Clear by late afternoon. High 41.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 29.
Sunday...Partly cloudy & warmer. High 50.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-01-26T15:48:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After several weeks of snow threats & very cold weather we are finally entering a period of tranquil weather. No snow threat, rain threats, or thunderstorm threats it appears for at least the next week. High pressure will remain in control through the weekend. Temperatures will still be slightly below normal for late January...but at least there is sun & not snow in the weekend forecast.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 51.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. High 34.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 51.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. High 32.
Sunday...Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy late. High 52.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

The Huntsville Tornado One Year Later...A Look Back...Part 3

2011-01-21T17:40:00.002-06:00

Today, Friday January 21st marks the one-year anniversary of the EF-2 Huntsville tornado...which struck areas of downtown Huntsville...as well as the Five Points and Oak Park areas of the city.

Tornadoes in Huntsville, Alabama are certainly not a rare occurrence. This tornado was the third strike for a major tornado since 1974. This tornado was the smallest of the three...& unlike the other two in 1974 & 1989 this one produced zero fatalities.

The Atmospheric Sciences Department at UAH has led the way with studying severe weather & how gravity waves impact those events. Because of this tornado new research has begun on whether local topography such as rivers & mountains can influence tornado genesis. With Huntsville now taking multiple hits there could be some truth to Monte Sano Mountain possibly enhancing wind shear locally & helping to produce tornadoes near the city. With Monte Sano Mountain being a horseshoe-shaped mountin it is possible as thunderstorm downdraft from a storm hits the mountain, the actual shape of the mountain may aid in low level wind shear...which helps produce tornadoes. Just one theory being looked at.

The amazing aspect of the tornado was the bottom-line fact of zero fatalities...& only three injuries. Considering this was a EF-2 tornado during rush hour & the fact there was not an active watch out for Madison County before the tornado warning was issued it seems amazing. Folks in the Tennessee Valley seem to take warnings very seriously. Two EF-4 tornado touchdowns at night later in 2010...one in Albertville & one in DeKalb County, proved that fact as again everyone survived those hits.

There are two points that should be taken away from this from those who experienced this storm for those who don't pay much attention to the weather unless severe weather threatens. First...Tornado Warnings can be issued not only during tornado watches & severe thunderstorm watches...but also when no watches are in effect at all. If nearby counties are in a watch, consider yourself in the watch too. Program your NOAA Weather Radio to alert you not just for your county...but program one county all around you. It is very important to know what is going on around your neighborhood. If you live in Madison County & there is a Tornado Warning for Morgan County or Limestone County, there is a good chance Madison County will be next.

Secondly...& this was a big point made during my visit with Andy Kula at the National Weather Service last year...while photos and videos of the tornado are nice to have & to share with the weather service & local media, too many people put themselves in the risk area by trying to get directly underneath the funnel cloud thinking the tornado was not on the ground since the funnel was not visible. There were some videos posted of people directly under the funnel cloud...others of folks driving to get underneath the funnel cloud from I-565. I posted two examples of this below. Trained storm spotters...& those who chase professionally...will tell you that is the LAST place they want to be. They try to position themselves a safe distance from the rotation & not directly in front of it Generally you want to be southeast of the funnel in most cases since this provides the best view & the storm usually will pass to your north.

Again...if you find yourself in the following positions...drop the camera & take cover!!!

Thanks for taking the time to read...& hope you enjoyed this look back!!!

The Huntsville Tornado One Year Later...A Look Back...Part 2

2011-01-20T20:15:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow, Friday January 21st marks the one-year anniversary of the EF-2 Huntsville tornado...which struck areas of downtown Huntsville...as well as the Five Points and Oak Park areas of the city.

Yesterday we looked at the events leading up to the tornado through forecasts and forecaster's thinking just before the event. In part 2, we will look at the tornado itself.

Here is video from Brad Huffines at WAAY-TV 31 as the 5 pm news was interrupted as the Tornado Warning was issued for Madison County...

Here is video from WHNT-TV 19 from Dan Satterfield & Alan Raymond just after the warning...

Shortly after the tornado occurred, many local media outlets & the internet was swamped of photos videos of the tornado. Here is a video put together from my friend Michael Wilhelm of several dozen of the photos taken of the storm...

Several dozen videos of the tornado are floating around on Youtube. Of all the videos posted this one is one of the best...

In the end the tornado cut a path 4.4 miles in length & started over Redstone Arsenal. The tornado then clipped the northern fringe of the downtown area of Huntsville. Once it cleared there it did it's worst damage as it reached the Five Points area in Huntsville then through Oak Park close to Chapman School before falling apart just as it reached Chapman Mountain. It was during it's trek through Oak Park & Five Points where the tornado peaked at EF-2 intensity with maximum winds around 115 mph.

In the end three people were injured. There were no fatalities. This seems a bit unbelievable as not only did this tornado hit during afternoon rush hour...but many people took some no-so-smart risks shooting pictures & video of the tornado...putting themselves right in extreme danger. I'll elaborate more in this in part 3.

This was also my first run-in with a tornado in my lifetime. I've been through several near-misses. The tornado appeared out of the western horizon & missed my location on Monte Sano Mountain by less than a quarter-mile. From my location I saw the tornado rake Oak Park. The sound is something that just sticks with you forever. While the funnel was never truly visible...the sound was an obvious giveaway the tornado was indeed on the ground...but the sound of the wind and the damage that was being caused on the ground. Just a terrible & sombering feeling as you know those folks were in the direct path of the storm. The best news of the night was when it was announced that everyone survived.

Coming up in part 3...the tornado aftermath, did the mountain possibly cause or strengthen the tornado & my views on some of the video of people doing things that in some storms could have caused injury & even death.

The Huntsville Tornado One Year Later...A Look Back...Part 1

2011-01-19T15:15:00.004-06:00

Friday January 21st marks the one-year anniversary of the EF-2 Huntsville tornado...which struck areas of downtown Huntsville...as well as the Five Points and Oak Park areas of the city.

The day before the tornado occurred I remember looking at the forecast...& thinking to myself that the overall severe weather threat was marginal going into the day. It was forecast to be unseasonably warm with highs into the 70s. Wind shear seemed favorable for tornadoes...but as usual for a winter system other severe weather parameters were questionable. By no means was a severe weather outbreak anticipated...but it was looking like the type of day were a few severe thunderstorms would be possible...with the possibility of a couple of tornadoes if we could get storms to develop in the strong wind shear.

As the morning of January 21 rolled around the Storm Prediction Center placed much of north Alabama into a slight risk area for the afternoon & evening...with the standard 15% wind & 5% tornado probabilities. You can click here to view the outlooks issued early that morning.

By mid-afternoon things were beginning to come together for a threat of localized severe thunderstorms...& the Storm Prediction Center placed much of the Mid-South into a Tornado Watch through the afternoon. This watch included Lauderdale, Colbert, & Franklin Counties in the Tennessee Valley.

The Storm Prediction Center updated their afternoon outlook about three hours before the tornado occurred with this outlook. At this point no tornadoes had occurred in the tornado watch area...& the highest threat of severe thunderstorms was looking to develop over Middle Tennessee as some drier air began to filter into the Tennessee Valley.

With that...the Storm Prediction Center cancelled the Tornado Watch and issued a new Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Middle Tennessee through the evening hours. The National Weather Service office in Huntsville included their Tennessee counties into the watch...but the decision was made to keep the Alabama counties out of the watch. This leaves the option of adding counties into the watch later on if need be.

Around 4:30 storms were beginning to really fire in south-central Tennessee...& Severe Thunderstorm Warnings we being issued up there. Soon after...storms began to tap into the strong wind shear...& Tornado Warnings were having to be issued. Very large hail were associated with these storms...which in some cases were causing hail to accumulate onto the ground. One tornado, rated an EF-1 touched down near Sewanee in Franklin County, TN.

At the same time...as early as one hour before the tornado occurred, it was beginning to look like north Alabama might escape severe severe weather activity as everything was happening to our north & the cold front has already crossed the Shoals and was heading for the Huntsville area. Just after 4:30 the radar began to really light up suddenly just west of I-65. A severe thunderstorm quickly developed west of Decatur...& a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Morgan County. The storm quickly fell apart & fell below severe levels as it exited the Decatur area. This storm, looking very innocent & weak was headed up I-565 directly for Huntsville. It really was looking like just a small storm just in time for the afternoon rush hour for the city followed by some clearing behind it afterwards. But very few could or would predict what was about to transpire in the next several minutes.

As the storm approached Madison the storm began to spike suddenly on radar...& the storm began to exhibit some weak rotation on radar. The storm developed a wall cloud as it approached the Space & Rocket Center...& this was observed by those working at the National Weather Service on the campus of UAH. After several minutes, and as the rotation got stronger, just before 5:30 pm the decision was made to place much of Madison County, including downtown Huntsville, under a Tornado Warning. This prompted EMA to sound the tornado sirens. Many local television stations caught this wall cloud on local towercams...& sent many people out to catch a video or a photo of the wall cloud.

Coming up in part 2...we'll re-track the tornado through Huntsville including some videos & local coverage of the storm...plus my account of the tornado as I watched it strike the Oak Park subdivision my my vantage point 700 feet up & less than a quarter of a mile away from Monte Sano Mountain above.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-01-19T15:04:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...All eyes on this forecast will be early Friday as a cold front will cross the area very early in the morning. Cold air behind the front will mix in with some lingering moisture...& the two could come together to produce our third bout of accumulating snowfall in less than a month. This storm will not be close to what was experienced on Christmas Day or two weekends ago...but snowfall accumulations of around one inch will be possible especially in higher elevations early Friday. We'll get a break for the rest of the weekend before another system affects us Sunday Night...& yes more winter weather could be involved with that as well as we head into Monday. Something else to keep an eye on.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Light snow flurries early becoming sunny late. Light snow accumulations up to one inch possible. High 38.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 22.
Saturday...Partly cloudy & warmer. High 44.
Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 21.
Sunday...Becoming mostly cloudy. High 41.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-01-12T15:07:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...After another brutal snowstorm for the Tennessee Valley it looks like we'll finally get a break, and more importantly some melting this weekend. High pressure will take control just to our east. This will pump up some warmer air from our south before another low pressure area approaches the area by late Sunday. The big news will be the temperatures as we may approach 50 Saturday afternoon...which will finally begin the rapid thawing we've been waiting on. I do expect rain by late Sunday...but temperatures will be supportive of just that...all rain and no ice expected.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 36.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 22.
Saturday...Partly cloudy & much warmer. High 48.
Saturday Night...Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 29.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of an afternoon shower or two. High 46.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2011-01-05T10:54:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...A couple of impulses of low pressure will impact the Tennessee Valley this weekend. The first on early Friday which could trigger a few light snow flurries. We will get a short break on Saturday before a second impulse moves in early Sunday morning & afternoon. This too could trigger a few snow showers early before the atmosphere warms just enough to turn the precipitation to rain by afternoon. For now no accumulations are expected. As a warning...the long-range models are trending extremely cold by the middle of the month. Certainly not a forecast but something that will be worth keeping an eye on.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. A few morning flurries possible. High 42.
Friday Night...Fair & cold. Low 21.
Saturday...Sunny early becoming mostly cloudy late. High 44.
Saturday Night...Cloudy & cold with a 30% chance of snow mainly late. Low 28.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of snow early changing to rain late. High 41.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

Alabama Christmas Snowfall

2010-12-29T11:53:00.003-06:00

Early last week it was looking like this was the best chance in a long time of Alabama seeing a White Christmas. I was even talking to a few friends on Facebook that I had a feeling this year. I added possible accumulating snowfall in the forecast for Christmas Day. From a weather standpoint that may be the toughest thing for any forecaster in the Tennessee Valley to do since snow is just plain unpredictable in these parts. My gut feeling when writing the forecast was around one inch.

Dramatically the models suddenly went crazy on Christmas Eve night & suddenly was putting between 3-4 inches across the Tennessee Valley. By Christmas morning...the miracle of a White Christmas happened for the Tennessee Valley as most all of the Tennessee Valley saw between 2-7 inches of snow.

Here is a map from the National Weather Service in Birmingham of the final totals across the state. Monte Sano Mountain east of Huntsville was the big winners in this one...

The 4.5 inches Huntsville officially recorded was only the second snowfall in history on Christmas Day. Not only the third biggest snowfall in the month of December...but also the 11th biggest snowfall in Huntsville history. Talk about epic!

Later!
J.P.

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-12-29T11:34:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...Forecast looks a bit like Christmas weekend...but 30 degrees warmer. Thus rain will be the rule this time around as a strong cold front enters the state Friday. Rain is likely Friday afternoon through Saturday evening. A few strong to possibly severe storms will be possible during that time. We clear out Saturday Night but also turn much colder. Use caution early Sunday morning as any leftover moisture on the roads will freeze Sunday morning. Sunday will be a shade cool...but otherwise perfect with ample sunshine.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

New Year's Eve...Cloudy with a 60 percent chance of rain especially during the afternoon hours. High 66.
Friday Night...Rain & a few thunderstorms. A few strong storms possible. Low 48. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
New Year's Day...Showers & a few thunderstorms. A few strong storms possible. High 56. Chance of rain 90 percent.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy & colder. Rain exiting early evening. Low 28.
Sunday...Sunny. High 52.

Have a great weekend & a very happy New Year everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-12-22T14:46:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...All focus is on the forecast Christmas Day as the Tennessee Valley is about to embark on its best chance of a White Christmas in many years. A low pressure area to our southwest will move across south Alabama Friday evening. Precipitation will start as light rain Friday Night. As the low pressure area moves to the southeast of us, it will funnel in some cold air. Thus any precipitation left will change to all snow. Still a little early to predict just how much snow will accumulate on Christmas Day (if any at all). However...models are coming into better agreement that there will be a chance of at least a dusting across areas of the Tennessee Valley...possibly more. Snow moves out Saturday evening...& Sunday we should see at least some sun...but colder temperatures as well.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Christmas Eve...Mostly cloudy. High 48.
Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of light rain changing to snow after Midnight. Low 29.
Christmas Day...Cloudy with a 60% chance of snow ending late. Light accumulations possible. High 33.
Saturday Night...Becoming partly cloudy. Low 22.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 38.

Have a great weekend & a very Merry Christmas everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-12-15T07:50:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...More unsettled weather expected for the first half of the weekend. The jet stream continues to keep the cold air filtering in as a couple of impulses head this way. The result will be some rain during the daytime hours Friday & Saturday...then a possible changeover to snow Friday Night. Right now little to no accumulation is expected. We should finally get a break by late Saturday through the rest of the weekend with a high near 40 Sunday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. High 42.
Friday Night...Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain possibly changing to snow after Midnight. Low 29.
Saturday...Cloudy with a 30% chance of snow early changing to rain by afternoon. High 39.
Saturday Night...Becoming partly cloudy. Low 26.
Sunday...Partly cloudy. High 40.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-12-08T07:52:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...A very brief warm-up is in store through Saturday after a very cold week. We will see mid 50s on Saturday as a strong cold front moves in from the west by Saturday afternoon. Showers & a few strong storms will be likely. The front clears Saturday Night and we turn very cold Sunday morning. With wrap-around moisture behind the front snow showers are expected Sunday & Sunday Night. With warm ground temperatures little to no accumulation is expected except possibly in grassy areas. I do think we could see some travel problems on Sunday especially in higher elevations as well as bridges & overpasses with the snow. Even colder air will filter in for the new work week as we likely will stay below 30 for highs through the first part of the new work week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Partly cloudy. High 51.
Friday Night...Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 39.
Saturday...Cloudy with a 70% chance of rain & a few thunderstorms. Some storms possibly strong. High 55.
Saturday Night...Windy with showers early tapering off late...then possibly changing to snow by daybreak. Low 34. Chance of precipitation 60%.
Sunday...Cloudy & windy with a 50% chance of snow. Little to no snow accumulation expected. High 37.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-12-01T10:45:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...A very chilly weekend on tap for the Tennessee Valley although we will see sunshine for the first half of the weekend. Another disturbance will head this way for Sunday...& thus we could see a few showers with that. Behind that will be another reinforcing shot of cold air for the new work week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Friday...Sunny. High 53.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 31.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 55.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy. Low 36.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of a shower. High near 50.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-11-23T14:50:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...The first half of the extended holiday weekend is looking unsettled as a strong cold front heads our way. We will be warm Thanksgiving Day...but that will change in a hurry after sunset. We'll see rain & a few strong thunderstorms by nightfall...then a surge of cold air behind the front with a brisk wind. We will begin a slow warm-up over the weekend under sunny skies. A warm Thanksgiving...but if you're going to the Black Friday sales or the Iron Bowl be sure to dress very warmly.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

Thanksgiving Day...Becoming mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & storms late. A few storms could contain gusty winds. High 72.
Thursday Night...Showers & thunderstorms likely...tapering off late & turning very cold. Low 38. Chance of rain 90%.
Friday...Cloudy early becoming partly cloudy late. Sharply colder & windy. High 45.
Friday Night...Clear & very cold. Low 28.
Saturday...Sunny & warmer. High 54.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 29.
Sunday...Sunny. High 59.

2010 Iron Bowl Auburn vs. Alabama...1:30 pm Friday - Tuscaloosa, AL...It will be cloudy with a slight chance of a light rain shower. It will be windy & cold with a kickoff temperature around 48 degrees. The temperature will hold in the mid to upper 40s through much of the game.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-11-17T15:18:00.002-06:00

On the weather map...High pressure will remain in control of our weather through the weekend. With winds coming in from the south our temperatures will remain above normal through the weekend. In fact we will likely see low 70s by Sunday afternoon. We will remain sunny through at least the first part of next week before our next chance of rain somewhere around Thanksgiving.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 66.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 41.
Saturday...Sunny. High 68.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 43.
Sunday...Sunny. High 71.

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-11-10T10:44:00.000-06:00

On the weather map...Unsettled weather appears to be the story as we head into the weekend. A cold front will move in to kick off a chance of rain Saturday, Sunday, and into the first part of the new work week. The system should remain weak so thunderstorms do not appear likely...just rain. Be sure to keep your weekend plans portable as rain will be off and on especially Saturday into Sunday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny and pleasant. High 72.
Friday Night...Becoming partly cloudy. Low 46.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. High 66.
Saturday Night...Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain mainly early. Low 49.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. High 58.

Football forecast...

Mississippi State at Alabama (6:15 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...It will be mostly cloudy with about a 30% chance of a shower during the game. Kickoff temperature will be in the lower 60s falling to the mid 50 by the fourth quarter.

Georgia at Auburn (2:30 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature in the upper 60s falling to near 60 by the fourth quarter. It looks like the rain should hold up until after the game...but pack the rain gear just in case the rain moves up timewise.

Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State (1 pm - Itta Bena, MS)...It will be cloudy with rain showers likely at periods during the game. Temperatures during the game will hold between the mid and upper 60s.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-11-03T18:14:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...Hope you've enjoyed the period we've had of warmer than normal temperatures...as we will see a small taste of winter over the weekend. A cold front will clear our area on Thursday...leaving us with sunny skies...but cold night & below normal afternoon temperatures through the afternoons.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Mostly cloudy & chilly. High 52.
Friday Night...Clearing & cold. Hard freeze likely. Low 27.
Saturday...Sunny. High 56.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 32.
Sunday...Sunny & a shade warmer. High 61.

Football forecast...

Alabama at LSU (2:30 pm - Baton Rouge, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature in the mid 60s falling into the 50s by the fourth quarter.

UT-Chattanooga at Auburn (12:00 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature in the mid 50s at kickoff getting up to near 60 by the fourth quarter.

Alcorn State vs. Alabama A&M (2:30 pm - Huntsville, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature in the mid 50s with temperatures holding there for most of the game.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-10-27T10:44:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...After a week where we have seen two severe weather outbreaks, the weekend is looking tranquil. Afternoons are looking spectacular...and cooler. Overnights will be chilly. If fact some of us will see our first frost...and perhaps a light freeze...in some neighborhoods Saturday morning. We will warm up back to near normal temperatures by the end of the weekend. No rain expected at all through the weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 63.
Friday Night...Clear. Scattered frost possible. Low 35.
Saturday...Sunny and warmer. High 68.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 41.
Sunday...Sunny & warmer still. High 74.

Football forecast...

Alabama is off this week.

Auburn at Ole Miss (5:00 pm - Oxford, MS)...It will be clear with a kickoff temperature in the mid 60s falling through the 50s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State (2:30 pm - Birmingham, AL)...Great weather expected for the Magic City Classic as well. Sunny skies with a kickoff temperature in the upper 60s falling to the low 60s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-10-20T11:08:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The first part of our weekend will feature the same weather we've experinced the last several weekends...sunny skies & dry conditions. A cold front, which should help to break the stagnant weather pattern we've seen going into the new week, will draw close enough to bing us a chance or rain late Sunday. Most areas will stay dry however...& the better chance of rain is looking to hold off until Monday.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 76.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 51.
Saturday...Partly cloudy. High 78.
Saturday Night...Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 56.
Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers & storms mainly late in the day. High 78.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Tennessee (6:00 pm - Knoxville, TN)...Clear skies will be the rule with a kickoff temperature around 70 degrees falling to near 60 by the fourth quarter.

Lousiana State at Auburn (2:30 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature around 80 degrees falling to the low 70s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M is off this week.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-10-13T11:00:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...The dry weather still continues for the Tennessee Valley as the jet stream has been stubborn to drift to the south. High pressure remains in control though the weekend. The good news...spectacular weather is again in store for all your weekend activities.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 75.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 41.
Saturday...Sunny. High 76.
Saturday Night....Clear. Low 42.
Sunday...Sunny. High 76.

Football forecast...

Ole Miss at Alabama (8:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...It will be clear with a kickoff temperature around 65 degrees falling well into the 50s by the fourth quarter.

Arkansas at Auburn (2:30 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature around 75 degrees falling into the 60s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Arkansas -Pine Bluff (6:00 pm - Pine Bluff, AR)...Clear skies will be the rule with a kickoff temperature of in the low 70s falling into the 60s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-10-06T13:07:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...High pressure, which has been in controal of our the weather the last couple of weeks, will continue to by stationed right on top of us through the weekend & into next week. While this will give us a pleasant & dry weekend...it is presenting a potential fire danger as the humidity will be very low through the weekend. Other than that...all outdoor activities will be fine this weekend.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 82.
Friday Night...Clear. Low 52.
Saturday...Sunny. High 84.
Saturday Night....Cealr. Low 53.
Sunday...Sunny. High 84.

Football forecast...

Alabama at South Carolina (2:30 pm - Columbia, SC)...It will be a clear afternoon with a kickoff temperature around 80falling to around 70 by the fourth quarter.

Auburn at Kentucky (6:30 pm - Lexington, KY)...It will be a clear evening with a kickoff temperature in the upper 60s falling into the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Jackson State (4:00 pm - Jackson, MS)...It will be a mostly sunny evenafternoon with a kickoff temperature in the mid 80s falling to the low 70s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-09-29T05:48:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...High pressure will remain in control of our weather through the entire weekend keeping us under sunny skies with no chance of rain. We will get a secondary shot of cooler air on Sunday dropping our afternoon highs into the lower 70s. Should be a perfect weekend for all of your outdoor activities!

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Sunny. High 76.
Friday Night...Clear & cool. Low 49.
Saturday...Sunny. High 78.
Saturday Night...Clear. Low 49.
Sunday... Sunny & cooler. High 73.

Football forecast...

Florida at Alabama (7:00 pm - Tuscaloosa, AL)...It will be a clear evening with a kickoff temperature in the upper 60s falling to the low 60s by the fourth quarter.

Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn (11:00 am - Auburn, AL)...It will be sunny with a kickoff temperature will be in the low 70s.

Grambling State at Alabama A&M (3:00 pm - Huntsville, AL)...It will be a mostly cloudy evening with a 40% chance of rain during the game. Kickoff temperature will be in the mid 70s falling to near 70 by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-09-22T12:46:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...High pressure will remain in control through Friday with sunshine & continued late-season heat. A cold front will approach on Satuday which will give us a chance of rain by afternoon going through Sunday. The cold front will pass on Sunday bringing with it the real first shot of autumn air to the Tennessee Valley starting Sunday afternoon through at least the early part of the new week.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Partly cloudy. High 94.
Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Low 68.
Saturday...Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers & storms. High 88.
Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of a shower or storm. Low 64.
Sunday... Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers & storms. Cooler. High 82.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Arkansas (2:30 pm - Fayetteville, AR)...It will be a partly cloudy afternoon with a 20% chance of a shower during the game. Kickoff temperature in the lower 80s & falling into the upper 70s by the fourth quarter.

South Carolina at Auburn (6:45 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be a mostly cloudy evening with a 50% chance of rain during the game. Kickoff temperature will be in the low 80s falling into the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.

Southern at Alabama A&M (6 pm - Huntsville, AL)...It will be a mostly cloudy evening with a 40% chance of rain during the game. Kickoff temperature will be in the low 80s falling into the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames

My Huntsville about.com Weekend Forecast

2010-09-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

On the weather map...High pressure, which has hang around for much of this week, will continue to do so through the weekend. It will make for a warm & dry weekend. The tropics remain active with three named storms (Igor, Julia, & Karl)...but none of these are expected to impact the U.S. It will be a great weekend if you have outdoor plans.

My official Tennessee Valley weekend forecast...

For Friday...Mostly Sunny. High 92.
Friday Night...Fair skies. Low 64.
Saturday...Mostly Sunny. High 91.
Saturday Night...Fair skies. Low 63.
Sunday...Mostly Sunny. High 91.

Football forecast...

Alabama at Duke (2:30 pm - Durham, NC)...It will be a sunny afternoon Kickoff temperature in the upper 80s & falling into the lower 80s by the fourth quarter.

Clemson at Auburn (6 pm - Auburn, AL)...It will be a mostly clear evening with a kickoff temperature in the low 80s falling into the low 70s by the fourth quarter.

Alabama A&M at Texas Southern (1 pm - Houston, TX)...It will be a partly cloudy evening with about a 20% chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Kickoff temperature in the low 90s.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

James Payton
Huntsville about.com Forecaster
http://uahweather.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/weatherjames