textproduct: Huntsville

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 900 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

- Above normal temperatures will continue through the weekend and could tie or break record highs on Sunday.

- High chances for rain will move in early Monday as a strong cold front moves through the area with a very low chance for strong storms west of I-65.

- Much colder temperatures move in on Monday with wind chills dropping to the low teens early Tuesday morning.

NEAR TERM

(Rest of tonight and Saturday) Issued at 900 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

Dense mid to low level cloud cover is expected to persist over the area tonight, but satellite trends do indicate it may be thinning a bit in areas. If any clearing were to occur, the risk for dense fog will go up overnight and this will be the main concern in the near term forecast. With cloud bases expected to lower overnight, reduced visibilities will be a concern especially in the higher terrain areas where cloud bases could drop below 500ft. We will continue to monitor observational trends overnight in case a Dense Fog Advisory is needed. Otherwise, temps will continue to be well above normal with lows in the mid 50s to lower 60s.

Upper ridging will center more over the local area tomorrow and will bring some of the warmest temperatures we have felt in a while. Highs are forecast to reach the mid 70s and could approach record level (77 at HSV, 78 at MSL) especially if there are more breaks in cloud cover than what is currently forecast.

SHORT TERM

(Saturday night through Monday night) Issued at 900 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

To our west, upper troughing will begin to dig across the Great Plains and will take on more of a neutral tilt as sfc cyclogenesis occurs. This system will dig into the MS River Valley Sunday afternoon as strong southwesterly flow keeps a warm and moist airmass in place locally. Highs will reach the low to mid 70s on Sunday and could once again approach or break the records of 75 at MSL and 74 at HSV. Gradient winds will increase as the front nears, with gusts up to 20-25mph at times Sunday afternoon and evening. Wind gusts in the higher terrain overnight could approach advisory criteria of 35mph early Monday morning as high rain and low thunderstorm chances move into the area. Given the strong dynamics of this system, the wind shear will be sufficient enough to support a low chance for a strong storm or two across NW AL, but thermodynamic profiles look less than favorable with ensemble means well below 100 J/kg even at the 90th percentile. We will continue to monitor trends as this system nears, but for now the risk for severe storms remains low.

Much colder temperatures will move into the region on Monday as winds take a sharp turn to the north behind the front. Highs will be a good 25-30 degrees cooler on Monday, only reaching the mid to upper 40s before plummeting to the upper teens/lower 20s Monday night. With northwest winds remaining elevated through Monday night, wind chills will drop to the lower teens or approach the single digits in areas of higher terrain. Be sure to get the heavy coats back out and ready for next week, because winter will soon return!

LONG TERM

(Tuesday through Friday) Issued at 900 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

Mostly zonal flow will transition to northwest flow aloft as a transient shortwave moves over the Southeast on Tuesday. This northwest flow looks to largely persist through late week; however, a decent amount of model disagreement occurs by Friday. At the surface, high pressue builds into the region from the west for much of the week until a cold front is shown to sweep over the Southeast Thursday/Friday. Overall, this pattern will lead to a mostly dry forecast through Thursday. Our next chance at precipitation looks to then come Friday/Friday night with the passage of the aforementioned cold front. There is the potential for wintry precipitation as temperatures fall below freezing Friday evening/night. With that said, it's still too early to decipher any details, especially with the amount of model disagreement that exists currently (greater uncertainty). Stay tuned to the forecast as we get closer!

In the meantime, the most significant weather of note will be the cold through much of the work week. Highs are forecast to struggle to warm past the 30s on Tuesday, with lows dropping into the lower 20s that night. An ever so slight warm up is slated for Wednesday, with highs in the 40s and lows in the mid to upper 20s. This appears to be short-lived as temperatures plummet right back into the upper teens to lower 20s Thursday night followed by highs merely reaching the upper 30s to lower 40s on Friday. Since it's been unseasonably warm recently, please do not become complacent - winter is still here. Remembering cold weather safety is imperative! Remember to protect the 4 Ps: people, pets, pipes, and plants!

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1149 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

The latest satellite imagery indicated stratus over the area, with VFR cloud bases (greater than 3000 ft AGL) under them. These clouds were breaking up per animation. If they do dissipate, enhanced radiative cooling with temperature/dewpoints already close will converge, and could result in the the formation of fog before daybreak Sat. Some of the shorter-term guidance was showing this with 100% RH at the surface over most of the area. In the 06Z TAF, have went on this route, bringing back IFR/MVFR CIGs and/or VSBY reductions in a few hours, with possibly lower values. Restricted CIG/VSBY will improve a few hours after daybreak, with MVFR CIGs returning around noon, and VFR in the late afternoon and evening. Light S-SW winds are expected for the overnight, slowly increasing to around 5kt in the afternoon.

HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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