Unseasonably Cool & Windy

It was a cold start to Sunday, but not as cold as it could have been thanks to low clouds, drizzle and wind staying up overnight.  Morning lows were mostly in the mid to upper 40s. There has been some clearing of the clouds, especially west of I-65 this morning, with continued slow clearing possible throughout the rest of the day.  Below the 11:00 am satellite image.

Thanks to some sunshine, Muscle Shoals has already reached it’s high temperature from yesterday.  Below are 11:00 am temperatures across the valley.

Highs will be a few degrees warmer today.  Farther west will be the warmest with more sun where highs could near the upper 50s. Across northeast Alabama where clouds will linger longest, highs will likely reach the low 50s at best.  Despite the slightly warmer temperatures than yesterday, a northerly wind between 15-25 mph, with gusts around 30 mph, will make it feel like it’s in the 40s in spots.

The unseasonably cool and windy conditions will persist though the next several days, thanks to Hurricane Sandy which continues to spin off of the Southeast coast.  Sandy remains a category one hurricane, but not much precedence should be given to the category, because it is a massive storm and will have huge impacts across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.  Travel disruptions are already beginning along the Eastern Seaboard with flooding closing roads along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and New York City stopping subway, bus & train services at 7:00 pm eastern daylight time this evening.  Widespread power outages, wind damage, storm surge, flooding and snowfall are expected across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast as Sandy interacts with an upper trough moving into the eastern United States. Sandy is expected to parallel the coast over the next 36 hours, before taking a sharp left turn and making a likely landfall along the Jersey coastline early Tuesday morning. Below is the latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center.

Source: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents

Make sure if you are traveling to the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast, or if you have family and friends there that you make the proper precautions and make sure that your family and friends are prepared as well.

- Jennifer Watson

Twitter: @JWatson_Wx

Facebook: Jennifer Watson WHNT