Happy Father's Day!
* Father's Day 2005 will go down in the books as one of the more comfortable editions of the holiday: highs in the upper 80's, plenty of sunshine, and relatively low humidity for this time of year.
* A deep upper trough continues over the southeastern U.S. We are on the western portion of this trough, which is generally a dry weather setup. The dry weather will continue for at least the next 3-4 days.
* The trough will lift out and eventually be replaced by a ridge. This will lead to a gradual warming trend as we go through the work week. Moisture will also gradually increasing, meaning the hot and humid days of summer will return. At least we did manage to see a break!
* Happy Father's Day to all dads out there!
Nice Weekend Coming Up!
Well the clouds around today kept the temperatures down some. Then a few showers rolled in during the afternoon. Heavier rain pushed out of Arkansas down into Louisiana. The drier air to our east kept the storms out of our neck of the woods. The clouds and rain will decrease early tomorrow allowing for a very nice weekend. Temps in the 80s along with lower dewpoints will feel great for June....Great weather for getting a little yard work done! Keep in mind however that it is Father's Day weekend, so don't work to hard in the yard! Perhaps do a little grilling and go for a swim! The weather should be perfect!
Late Night Basketball
* Normally at this time, I would have just completed the main weather segment. But, tonight, ABC is carrying Game 4 of the NBA Finals. As I write this, the Pistons are beating the Spurs 76-57. I don't particularly have a favorite; I really can't get into professional basketball.
* Will be heading out to Meridian Community College tomorrow for the "College for Kids" program. I'll be doing a talk on weather safety. While tornadoes and hurricanes get the most publicity, lightning and floods are usually just as, if not more, deadly! So, we'll discuss a wide range of topics tomorrow.
* The weather looks quiet - a little less humidity than normal, but still pretty warm. Highs over the next few days will make it into the upper 80's and lower 90's with plenty of sunshine.
* Father's Day weekend looks fantastic - plenty of sun. The forecast becomes a bit more difficult by early next week. Computer model guidance had been indicating that there would be a "cut-off" upper low moving over the Southeast. This would have cause an increase in rain chances. But, over the past day or two, the model guidance has stopped suggesting this possibility. In fact, the models now suggest a strong ridge building in - meaning dry and warm for us. For now, we'll leave the early part of next week dry.
* All is quiet in the tropics. There are a few clusters of storms out there, but none that show any signs of development.
Meteorology 101 Quiz
* I received this in the e-mail inbox from my friend Joe Chance. It's pretty funny stuff...
Meteorology 101
Final Exam
Note-While these questions are True/False, you are not to guess at the answer.
This is NOT an open book test.
In Alabama (and Mississippi) it gets so hot :
T / F The temperature drops below 95 and you feel a little chilly
T / F You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
T / F You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m.
T / F Hot water now comes out of both taps
T / F The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper
T / F The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
T / F The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground
T / F You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
T / F You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
T / F You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window
T / F The cows are giving evaporated milk.
T / F Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.
* A lot of those would be correctly answered with TRUE today; temperatures will surge into the middle 90's. This could be the hottest day of the year so far! A break is on the way, as slightly cooler air will arrive through the weekend and into early next week.
Odds and Ends...
* Good to see our rainfall deficit back to a more manageable figure - now just over one inch. If you remember, May was VERY dry; our rainfall deficit swelled to over five inches! This lack of soil moisture had us concerned about the possibility of a very hot and dry summer. But, with the rain we saw this weekend, we are back close to normal. That's the good news....
* The bad news is that the rain from the weekend caused some flooding problems in parts of the area, especially in west Alabama. Flooding has been reported along the Tombigbee River, in both Gainesville and near Demopolis. The Black Warrior River has also seen some minor flooding at Selden Dam. In Mississippi, the Noxubee River near Macon and the Upper Pearl River has also gone a little above flood stage. Thankfully, the flooding should continue to subside over the next few days of dry weather.
* A June Front? It's looking more and more likely that we'll see a brief break from the 90+ degree heat. Slightly cooler and drier air will filter into the Deep South for Friday and Saturday. Not a deep freeze, but any break we can get from the heat this time of year is certainly appreciated!
Hurricane Season Has Begun
I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine after all the rain we had this past weekend with Arlene. I know we needed the rain but I am glad to see the sun out today. The bad news is that since the sun is out temperatures will be around ninety. So it will be hot and humid today.
I hope everyone is as excited about Hurricane season as I am. Well I am sure the people who live on the coast probably have a different opinion but I love the weather so of course I love Hurricane season. I think it has started off well with Tropical Storm Arlene.
The reason Arlene was able to form was because the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean water temperatures are warm this time of year. Arlene was not strong however due to the drier air that was over the Southeast. Understand I do not wish for harm to come to the Gulf Coast or Florida but I am interested in Hurricanes. I am looking forward to see how the rest of the Hurricane season goes.
My Last Day...
Weather looking great around here after Arlene made her exit last night. Even though some places saw some heavy rain, no major problems were reported from our first tropical system of the year.
Weather next weeks looks nice as well. Hot to start out the work week before a cold front should keep things comfortable around here by Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Not a big rain chance with the front as it comes through, and it will usher in some drier air.
Wanted to say hello to the Bell's who are in Meridian visiting with Josh. They are members of LDCT, or the Long Distance Chase Team. We had a nice time out to eat with them and other LDCT members tonight. Good food, fun, and we had a good time talking about old memories!
As Josh mentioned earlier, yes, this is my last night here in Meridian. Moving on to a job in Macon, Ga. I've had a great 9 months here and enjoyed bringing the weather to the people of East Mississippi and West Alabama on the weekends. I promise that we will leave the show in capable hands! Goodbye for now!
Derek's Last Day...
* Derek Kinkade will be handling the Sunday night shift for the last time at WTOK tonight. Derek has accepted a position doing weather on the morning news at WMGT in Macon, Georgia. We are sad to see Derek go, but this is a great opportunity for him - and all of us at WTOK wish him the best!
* An interesting note about Derek's tenure at WTOK - both his first and last weekends at WTOK featured a landfalling tropical system affecting the area. Derek began here the weekend that Hurricane Ivan made landfall along the Alabama Gulf coast, and will close out with Tropical Storm Arlene.
* If you'd like to drop Derek an e-mail, his address is Derek.Kinkade@wtok.com!
2 AM Saying Goodbye to Arlene
The center of the remanants of tropical storm Arlene are located in northern Greene County, Alabama at this hour. The heaviest rain is well to the north and east of our viewing area, into parts of central Alabama.
The rain has come to an end across areas south of I-20 this evening. Aside from lingering showers in Winston, Noxubee, Neshoba, and Kemper counties, much of the rain will be ending by about 4 AM. Fog and misty conditions will persist through the night and early morning hours as the air is very moist, as one might expect with a landfalling tropical system.
The National Weather Service in Jackson has allowed the Wind Advisory and the Flash Flood Watch to expire across their Mississippi counties. Birmingham's NWS is continuing the Flash Flood Watch for their counties until 7 AM. The only counties in our area under warnings are Flood Warnings for Neshoba, Sumter, Greene, and Marengo Counties.
Rainfall total at Key Field was 2.65 inches, with light rain still in the area. At Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR) they are currently sitting at 4.94 inches with moderate rain still falling. These are 24 hour totals, falling since about 2 AM last night. Looking at radar estimated rainfall, it sure looks like West Alabama and the counties in Mississippi that border Alabama beared the worst of the rain. Estimates range from 4-7 inches in some locations there.
The next tropical system that gets named will be Bret. Cindy, Dennis, Emily, and Franklin will follow.
Sure does look like tomorrow may turn out to be an 'ok' day. Clouds and showers in the morning should give way to gradual clearing. Wouldn't be surprised to see some peaks of sunshine tomorrow, especially west and south of Meridian.
