Toython a Success
* Toython 2005 will go down as one of the best ever. The truck was filled with toys, a testament to the great generosity of our community. We'd like to thank our sponsors, Peavey Electronics and Rush Hospital, for all of their help. Toython would be impossible without the compassion of Nell Grissom and our friends at the Wesley House. Their desire to help the less fortunate knows no bounds. But, the main group of people who make this whole thing work is YOU. Your gift will have a tremendous impact on the life of a child, and for that, we offer a sincere and heartfelt thank you.
* While Toython 2005 is done, the needs in our community are not. Love's Kitchen is running quite low on resources at the moment, and they could certainly use our help. Their work to feed the hungry is remarkable. A great gift idea: donate money in your gift recipient's name to a local charity. Some donations are tax deductable, so the gift comes back around; but the main point is that you will have helped those who need our help the most.
* You may have noticed that Renny is off this weekend. He is visiting with his family in Nebraska for the holidays. Certainly a well earned vacation, he has really done great work for us in his time here. We are fortunate to have a guy like Renny manning the fort on the weekend shift.
* I sure hated to see Meridian and Wayne County fall this weekend in the state championship games. But, what an incredible accomplishment! A big congratulations to all of our local football teams for a great season.
* The weather looks pretty good. Tomorrow (Sunday) will be cool and dry, with highs near 50. Moisture will increase Monday and Tuesday, with our next chance of rain coming Wednesday. Cooler air will likely return by the end of the work week, but the extent of that cold air intrusion remains a bit unclear at this point.
* Have a wonderful Sunday...
Toython 2005
Our community needs your help! WTOK, in conjunction with the Wesley House, is working with Rush Hospital and Peavey Electronics to make Christmas merry for some area children. We have a truck in front of the WalMart Supercenter, and we need your help to fill it up.
We'll be out there until 9:00 pm tonight, and from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm tomorrow. All you need to do is bring by a new and unwrapped toy. The price and size do not matter, anything you can bring will help a child have a wonderful Christmas. The need this year is at an all-time high, so be sure to come out and lend a helping hand!
Cold Rain Coming..
* We are watching moisture continue to race in from the southwest. At the same time, an upper trough is diving eastward through the Plains, and will likely cause a surface low pressure system to form in the northern Gulf of Mexico. If things had come together a bit differently, this could have been a big winter storm for us. However, temperatures are going to be far too warm for anything but rain around here.
* While parts of the South will get a taste of wintry weather tomorrow, we expect only a cold rain here. Temperatures will be well above freezing, so it's really even a stretch to call it a "close call." Parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky will get a significant bout of winter weather out of this.
* Exactly how much rain we receive is still in question. The NAM has a fairly wet day on tap for us, while the GFS indicates only light precipitation. Our thinking is that the actual weather will fall somewhere between the two - most locations will receive between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of rain.
* Rain will end Thursday night, and Friday will feature cold temperatures and dry conditions. Exactly how cold it stays Friday will depend on the cloud cover. We are going with the idea that we should get some good clearing in here. This will allow temperatures to rise into the middle 40's. Either way, Friday promises to be a rather cold and blustery day.
* The weekend looks chilly and dry, but this pattern seems like the kind that generally offers up a few surprises. We'll have to be on our toes over the next week or so, considering the close proximity of very cold air and the active nature of the subtropical jet.
More Warnings
* We have had a lot of warnings coming out...and at the current moment warnings are in effect for Kemper, Winston, and Jasper, however the storms are mainly well behind the front. Main threat will be heavy rain and some hail, but as the front continues to move further and further away, the tornado threat becomes nearly nothing. We will be here watching radar all day long...
Warnings coming in
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
LAUDERDALE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...MERIDIAN STATION...MERIDIAN
EASTERN NEWTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
* UNTIL 345 PM CST
* AT 219 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 19 MILES WEST OF NELLIEBURG...OR NEAR NEWTON...
AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
NELLIEBURG AND COLLINSVILLE BY 250 PM CST
OKATIBEE LAKE BY 255 PM CST
MERIDIAN BY 300 PM CST
MARION BY 310 PM CST
MERIDIAN STATION BY 320 PM CST
West AL Watch
* Well we didn't want to leave anyone out...so west Alabama has been put under a new severe thunderstorm watch until 7pm.
* Storm is interesting in Winston county. It has been persistent and expanding. While it is north of the boundary and elevated, wouldn't be suprised to see a few hail stones in that storm...
Big Temperature Difference
* Interesting note...the temperature in Meridian is 77 degrees, but just 90 miles north at the Golden Triangle Airport, the temp is 48. The front at the current moment is roughly 20 miles north of Meridian. As soon as the front makes it through, we'll see a big drop off in temperature!
* Strongest storms at the moment are in Lowndes County over the city of Columbus (with a severe thunderstorm warning) and another strong, but not severe, storm was located near Louisville in Winston county. Again, the main threat from storms north of the boundary will be hail.
* More updates to come...
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
* The SPC has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 6pm for all of our east Mississippi counties. The watch does not include any west Alabama counties, however the chance of severe weather there is about equal.
* Current check of radar as of 12:15 shows a line of showers and a few embedded thunderstorms extending from Scooba to near Collinsville. These storms are not severe at this moment but we will be watching them closely. The strongest thunderstorm on radar at this moment is just to the east of Natchez, another strong thunderstorm was located between Greenville and Greenwood in the Mississippi Delta region.
* Plenty of sunshine ahead of the approaching cold front has created enough instability for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. The main threat today looks to be hail and damaging wind. A report of a brief isolated tornado is possible as well, but the threat of tornadoes is much less than hail and winds.
* Back to radar...
Storms heading into area
* A line of strong to severe thunderstorms is pushing southeastward ahead and along a potent cold front through northern Mississippi and Alabama. Reports of damaging wind and hail have been coming in, but recent radar trends show continued weakening. Current thoughts are that the line should persist or slightly weaken as it continues to push to the SE. Depending on how fast the line moves, a few hours of sunshine could destablize the atmosphere south of I-20 and help reintensify this line of storms. Storms associated along or directly behind the front will pose the threat for hail and damaging winds. If storms can fire ahead of the main line, they will encounter a more favorable environment for rotation and possible isolated tornadoes.
* A tornado watch is in effect from mainly Highway 25 and northwestward until 5am. Noxubee and Winston counties are officially listed in the box, however its mainly the far northern portions of the counties. The SPC is hinting at a new Severe Thunderstorm Watch being issued for central Alabahma and Mississippi, however this has not happened yet...will be sure to post if that does occur. At the current moment, main threats include heavy rain and hail, with a few sporadic reports of brief gusty winds. I'll be watching radar trends and analyzing the situation throughout the night and will post accordingly!
