National Weather Service Alabama

Hurricane season is underway and it looks like there are fewer people watching for storms along the Gulf of Mexico. The Trump White House has reportedly made staff cuts to fifteen National Weather Service centers that serve the Gulf.

Budget cuts in Washington are raising concerns for beach safety along the Alabama Gulf coast. The Associated Press is reported staff vacancies as bad as twenty percent at some National Weather Service offices. These are the people who provide forecasts, including beach safety information for both Alabama beach goers and lifeguards.

Snow may soon be returning in the forecast across Alabama. The record books say mid-January is historically the coldest time of year in Central Alabama, which can bring wintery weather, ice, sleet and flurries. That could be the case next week, according to meteorologists.

Alabama schools, cities and towns are shutting down in anticipation of freezing rain, ice and snow in the forecast. The National Weather Service (NWS) reports the winter weather will impact the northern and central portions of Central Alabama late Thursday night through Friday evening.

A Winter Storm Watch is now in effect for the northern third of Alabama as forecasters say conditions are increasing for possible snow and ice. In preparation for the incoming inclement weather, the Alabama Department of Transportation is ramping up its preparation efforts on roadways and bridges.

Alabama is getting a blast of cold, dry air this week, with some cities in the state opening up warming stations in the evenings and overnight. The National Weather Service is issuing a freeze warning for parts of Alabama and reminding about cold weather safety.

Alabama is welcoming cooler weather, and the lower temperatures are sticking around— at least for a little while. Alabama forecasters say the coldest mornings this week will be early on Wednesday and Thursday. With this chill comes the potential for frost in some areas.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami is keeping an eye on a system that could become Tropical Storm Ernesto early this week. The agency says there’s an 80% chance the area of disturbed weather could develop into a named storm. This comes as the center reminds Alabama Gulf coast residents and the nation that elements are lining up to make the peak of the 2024 hurricane season especially active.

Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs in Jamaica, jumbled fishing boats in Barbados and damaged or destroyed 95% of homes on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before rumbling toward the Cayman Islands and taking aim at Mexico's Caribbean coast after leaving at least seven dead in its wake.

Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm heading toward Jamaica after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least six people. A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane watch for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and for Haiti's entire southern coast.