Alabamaâs Christmas weather forecast is âmessyâ: What to know for the holiday
The National Weather Service is dealing with what forecasters are calling a “messy” forecast for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
It’s “messy” in that forecast confidence is low, and rain and storms will be possible.
It looks like there could be rain on and off. There could also be a thunderstorm or two in the mix — although no severe weather is expected at this point.
Forecasters are cautioning that forecast models are still not giving a clear-cut picture of what the weather on Sunday or Monday will look like — so be on guard for potential forecast changes as the big days get closer.
The temperature forecast could come as either a positive or a negative depending on your perspective: Temperatures are expected to be on the warm side on both days, according to weather service forecasts, with highs expected to be in the upper 50s or 60s both days.
Here is the high temperature forecast for Christmas Eve:
Temperatures are expected to warm up and be in the 50s and 60s on Christmas Eve (Sunday).NWS
Here are the forecast highs for Christmas Day:
More 60s are in the forecast for Alabama for Christmas Day (Monday).NWS
There are a few things that could happen over the weekend. Forecasters will be watching to see if an area of low pressure develops near the Gulf, and a warm front could potentially lift northward over the state on Sunday. Areas south of the front could see increased chances for rain and a few storms. A cold front could also move through the region, bringing additional chances for rain.
It’s not expected to rain all day on either day, but it’s too soon to say how high rain chances will be on Sunday and Monday. As of Tuesday morning the weather service forecast calls for rather high rain chances on Christmas Day — in the 60 to 70 percent range (the precipitation forecast for Christmas Day is shown at the top of this post).
Rain chances are expected to be lower during the day on Christmas Eve. Here is the forecast:
Here are the rain chances from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Christmas Eve.NWS
The weather service said forecasters will get a better idea about holiday rain chances in the next few days.
“Confidence remains quite low with the timing of this system as it continues to change with each new model cycle,” the weather service said Tuesday morning.
“The good news is at this time it appears this system will (be) non-severe.”