textproduct: Huntsville

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 1036 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

- Cooler than normal temperatures will continue through the week with dangerous cold returning this weekend.

- A low chance of snow flurries exists Friday and Saturday morning. No impacts or accumulations are forecast.

NEAR TERM

(Rest of Today and Tonight) Issued at 1036 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

The Tennessee Valley is currently under the influence of a high pressure located to the southwest. This is pulling in warmer surface winds from the gulf coming into our area around the high from the northwest. This system will help temperatures reach above freezing for a large portion of the day helping melt ice remaining from this weekend. The dense cloud cover from this morning has scattered out and dissipated resulting in mostly sunny weather which will continue into this afternoon and evening allowing high temperatures to reach the upper 30s to mid 40s. Tonight, there is low-medium (20-40%) confidence in freezing fog across the area primarily in northwest Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee potentially resulting in reduced visibility in some areas as well as slick spots along roads and surfaces. Temperatures are anticipated to drop below freezing with lows in the high teens to low 20s.

SHORT TERM

(Thursday through Saturday) Issued at 1036 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

Through the day on Thursday, an approaching surface low will support light SSE winds prompting some slight temperature and moisture advection from the Gulf. This will allow highs to warm to the mid 40s, highest temps of the week! Unfortunately, the passage of the surface low and associated upper shortwave through the night on Thursday will conclude our relatively warmer conditions and reintroduce a low chance for some wintry precip.

The mid level short wave looks to swing through the TN Valley early Friday morning. It's passage will provide some lift across the area prompting the concern for precip chances. What is certain right now is that temperatures have a high chances of being below freezing Friday morning through the whole profile, thus anything that does precipitate will fall in the form of snow. What remains highly uncertain is how much moisture will be present in the mid and low levels to support precipitation formation. Blended guidance remains pessimistic regarding available moisture and keeps PoPs below 20%. What looks likely at this time is low (20%) chances of light snow flurries on and off Friday morning with best chances in NE AL and southern middle TN. Fortunately, any precip will be paired with an increase in gradient winds with gusts of 20+ MPH through the day. Winds will clear and dry road ways decreasing the likelihood of any travel impacts.

From Friday into Saturday an upper closed low will swing from the Great Lakes Region down through the TN Valley. This will prompt two features of interest in the forecast. The first is another shot at light snow flurries again Saturday morning due to the lift associated with the cut off low. Again, available moisture will be our limiting factor regarding precip chances. That said, the LREF has 3/4 clusters with a 0.10" of snow in NE AL and southern middle TN. Any snow that does fall Friday or Saturday morning is forecast to be very light with limited accumulations. About half the GFS and Euro ensembles show accumulations however all of the members that show accumulations keep totals less than an inch, most below 0.20". Gusty winds will remain on Saturday again working to dry and clear the roads from any falling precip. We will keep an eye on forecast trends, should model trends and confidence increase in seeing accumulations, a Winter Weather Advisory will be considered for NE AL and southern middle TN.

The second forecast feature that is of interest on Saturday is the life threatening cold that returns Saturday morning. The passage of the cut off low allows frigid continental dry air to be ushered in from the NW with temperatures plunging ~25 degrees from Friday evening to Saturday morning. Morning lows are forecast in the mid teens with gusty winds promoting wind chills from -5 to -1. This is well within Cold Weather Advisory Criteria and that product will likely be issued in the next 36 hours. We will be keeping a close eye on wind chill trends as below -5 is the local criteria for an Extreme Cold Warning. The LREF currently shows a 40-60% chance of wind chill values below -5 for areas north of the TN River. Regardless of which products end up being issued, it will be important to protect yourself and your pets from the cold. Make sure to dress appropriately if venturing out.

LONG TERM

(Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 1017 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

To start the long term, an upper positively tilted trough is shown by guidance to swing over the Southeast, then turn into a closed low as it skirts over the Carolinas late Saturday into early Sunday. At the surface, a low pressure system traverses the northern Gulf coast and up into the Carolinas Friday into Saturday. Meanwhile, stout high pressure over south-central Canada looks to quickly punch south into the central CONUS. The surface low (coincident with the upper low) off the coast of the Carolinas will then continue its journey towards New England through Monday as the aforementioned high pressure pushes into the Deep South. The main question with this low pressure system is, will we see any wrap around precipitation (snow) on Saturday as the system departs to the northeast? Model cluster analysis largely shows little to no probability of snow; however, one cluster does show some indications of measurable snowfall over northeast Alabama. At this point, this cluster seems like the outlier and confidence is low in any precipitation; but, we will keep an eye on this as we move through the week.

The other concern will be the arctic air that will be ushered into the region for the weekend. Ensemble guidance points to a high chance (85-100%) of high temperatures being less than 25 degrees on Saturday. There is also a medium to high chance (40-60%) of highs less than 20 degrees over north Alabama and a high chance (60-80%) of this over southern middle Tennessee. The latest Blended guidance came in a little warmer, with forecast highs in the lower to mid 20s. Either way, these values are nearly 30 degrees below the seasonal norm for January 31st! It'll be frigid Saturday night too, as ensembles agree that there is a 70-100% chance of low temperatures less than 15 degrees. Forecast lows are in the lower teens, with a few single digits over northeast Alabama. Again, well below normal (by nearly 20 degrees)! To add another layer to this concern will be the tight pressure gradient that is expected to result in breezy conditions continuing from Friday night through Saturday night. Forecast wind chills are expected to drop into the -5 to +5 degree range during this time, leading to higher confidence in the need for a Cold Weather Advisory later this week. All this to say, make sure to bundle up with clothes appropriate for the extreme cold. Also, make sure to also keep heater safety in mind if you plan to use one to keep warm. Keep the area around heaters clear (3 foot rule), plug them directly into outlets (no extension cords), and don't leave them running while you are away or sleeping!

From Sunday through Tuesday, no precipitation is anticipated but a slight "warming" trend looks to take place. Highs in the 30s on Sunday are forecast to "warm" into the 40s by Tuesday. Lows follow a similar trend, with lows in the teens Sunday night and then in the 20s Monday night. Ultimately, it will continue to be cold, but not quite as cold as Friday/Saturday. Regardless, make sure to bundle up and protect people, pets, pipes, and plants!

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1128 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

With visible satellite data suggesting that the remnants of early morning stratus are currently eroding from northeastern MS into southern Middle TN, we will indicate SKC conditions and a lgt NW wind at the terminals for the remainder of the aftn. High-lvl clouds (spreading downstream from an upper-level disturbance digging from the central Rockies into the southern Plains) will arrive late this evening, and should quickly become overcast in coverage by 8Z. Sfc winds will also become calm during this timeframe, before a lgt SE flow resumes by 15Z. Although these conditions may support development of patchy FZBR/FZFG, this would be more likely to occur south of the TN River (where dewpoints will be a bit higher) and we will not include vsby reductions in the forecast attm.

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

AL...None. TN...None.