Very Sad News
* A tornado struck near the central Florida town of Lady Lake today and has killed over a dozen people. Two of those who lost their lives were high school students.
* The approaching tornado was so loud that a deaf woman heard it coming without use of her aids. Click
HERE for that story.
* Here is some video of the tornado:
VIDEO* Lauren Raymer will be along this weekend to update you on the forecast. I believe we could potentially see a touch of warmer weather by late next week - but it's far too early to really get excited about that just yet.
Labels: Weather News
Snowy Night in Memphis...
This image was taken Thursday night just outside of Memphis, TN. A big thanks to NWS Memphis employee, Long Distance Chase Team member, and good buddy Todd Beal for the pic. Great stuff.
Todd and I have had our share of storm chase experiences together...Perhaps that would make for an interesting post some time in the future!
Let's talk about the forecast. Temperatures today went nowhere fast, and we expect more of the same through the next couple of days. The new GFS Model Output Statistics (MOS) shows upper 50's for Sunday; that sure seems too warm to me. I am going to stick with the idea that we will do well to even reach 50 through the next four to seven days.
* Weekend? How quickly things can change. There is now no model guidance that suggests the chance of any snow over the weekend. While the upper pattern is very favorable, the low in the Gulf will likely be too far south to provide us with any moisture. We'll leave a 20 percent chance of precip in the forecast for Saturday night/early Sunday, but we will most likely stay dry.
* Next week will feature more cold weather, but it looks primarily dry. I will caution you that, given the very active subtropical jetstream, we will have some moisture around. So, our forecast for next week is highly changeable and will likely be amended in coming days.
* NEW FACE: I'd like to officially welcome Chris Whited to the WTOK team. Chris and I went to college together at MSU, and I have confidence that he will do a great job here. He is already well-versed about our cities and counties here, and his passion for severe weather is strong. Check out his forecast on Good Morning Meridian weekdays at 6am!
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Wintry Weather Update
* Our second close call in a few weeks continues tonight...We are seeing primarily light rain move across the area this evening, with some sleet mixing in at times in a few places. Any sleet that does fall will melt on contact with the ground...Farther north, in north MS/AL, TN, and GA, there will be significant travel problems due to a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow.
* We expect rain to continue tomorrow, and we could also deal with a thunderstorm or two. The best chance of that would likely be south of Meridian.
* WEEKEND: This forecast sure is interesting, especially for snow fans. I believe an area of low pressure will form in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and this could set the stage for a round of snow or ice for parts of Mississippi and Alabama.
But, it's still a bit too far out to really nail anything down. It might be our turn for snow/ice, it might stay to our north, or the moisture might even stay down in the Gulf. But, for now, I am going to introduce a chance of rain or snow in the forecast. There is the potential for this to be a significant winter weather episode, so be sure to check back frequently as we approach the weekend.
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Cold, Rain Ahead
* Our weather will be characteristically fast-paced and tricky to forecast over the next seven days or so...Probably the next couple of weeks. On to the discussion:
* Radar shows a few light echoes in southwest MS, but the vast majority of the precipitation with this system is staying over the Gulf of Mexico. So, we'll have mostly cloudy conditions today, with an outside chance of a sprinkle south of I-20. Most places will stay dry today, and temperatures will struggle to reach 50. As of this writing, its 47. Bundle up.
* The next system will bring a cold rain to the area Thursday through Thursday night. The rain will be heavy in some communities. There will likely be some significant snow or ice with this system across parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Here, we'll see only rain.
* Cold Weekend: Temperatures this weekend will take a big tumble. Highs on Saturday will struggle to reach the lower 40's, and it wouldn't surprise me if some places stayed in the 30's all day. Sunday will also be cold. We will have to watch the Gulf of Mexico closely during the latter part of the weekend. The Canadian computer model suggests the possibility of some wintry weather, and the GFS model is picking up on a good moisture fetch but keeps it suppressed to our south. We shall see.
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Wintry Precip??
*Overnight lows are going to be very blustery tonight with temps getting down into the lower 20's. In fact, I expect cold temps overnight to continue through mid-week with temps only warming to around the freezing mark by Friday morning. That is turning a few heads around here with regards to wintry precip....
*The forecast is definately calling for at least some rain Tuesday through Thursday. As of right now we will stick to liquid precip during that period, but the possibilty of wintry mix cannot be ruled out. This is continuing to be a tricky forecast so we will watch how the models handle the cold air and moisture over the next day or two.
