A Loss In Our MSU Weather Family:
* I learned some sad news this afternoon about a former classmate of mine who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 27. Melissa Greer, the weekend meteorologist at WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina died this morning. I graduated with Melissa and it seems just like yesterday we are all sitting in the climate lab at the round table studying and talking about an upcoming meteorology exam...especially our water resources class. Melissa was also the morning weather anchor at WCBI in Columbus at the time so her smile always started my morning when I was checking to see how the weather looked for the day.
* Melissa's story is one of courage and sadness... and I would like to share it with you. My prayers are with her family during this time. Its a sad loss for our all of us who when through the program at MSU with Melissa and had the honor of spending time with her every day at Mississippi State.
http://www.wbtv.com/news/greerLabels: General Thoughts
Dry Weekend Ahead:
* Short chat this morning here on the blog as I am having computer issues with our weather graphics system this morning... so that is top issue right now for our pc tech at WTOK and I right now...
* High pressure will dominate the forecast through early next week and as you can see from the graphic loaded, this is keeping the jet stream and storm track off to our west and to our north. The high will shift eastward by early next week and my the middle of the week a storm system will take shape to west and move across the Twin States by Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Long range models (mostly the GFS that I have looked at this morning) hint we could see some strong to severe storms with this system. I did like the fact the model was painting 1.00" + rain chances for the area. Rob will have more on next weeks rain chances over the weekend here on the blog and Newscenter 11 and Trent and I next week. (We're getting Trent set up to blog on here soon...)
* Quick note that the NWS Jackson will be in Meridian this Monday at 7:00PM for a SKYWARN Storm Spotter Class at the Lauderdale Co. Emergency Management Office (LEMA). If you know where the Central Fire Station for Meridian is on the hill... the LEMA office is just across the street from the fire station.
* Have a good weekend...
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Quiet Weather Trend:
* The only big weather story this morning is the areas of fog along and south of US 80. The weather pattern looks great as we head into the weekend with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and daytime highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Overnight lows are going to climb into the 50s as well by the weekend.
* Rain Chances: Not good through the first of next week as a ridge will hold the storm track well to the north of Mississippi and Alabama. As we go into the week, the ridge will shift toward the Atlantic coast and put the area back under a southerly flow. This will allow a few weak shortwaves to sneek in the back door and bring a few showers and a thunderstorm on the first part of the week, but I will admit I'm not that impressed with the models on this trend. At that time we should see dewpoints begin to rise as well. Longer range models seems to hint at a better rain chance late next week for the area.
* Drought: Some of you saw my story (yea I'm back reporting too part time) on the drought update and have emailed me about where to get the data. The link for the US Drought Monitor is:
http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.htmlI will say this rain deficit is hurting everyone. Its stricks me odd that for the last two years at my old job doing weekend weather and reporting in San Angelo, Texas I was reporting on the same thing... drought. The only difference is there a rain deficit of 4 or 5 inches is a drought for them... where as for us its not unusual to be that below as something usually comes along and helps us make up that deficit. Being that we are well over 14 inches below... I am worried about what the summer is going to be like around here. I surely hope that 107 degree day I experienced out there doesn't come to Meridian for a visit. ( I remember that quiet well... it was the middle of September and on a Sunday. The dewpoint that day varied from negative 2 to positive 5... and talk about no humidity!)
* Early May outlooks from NOAA suggest "normal" precipitation for May... although I don't think "normal" works when we are this low. Temperatures are suggested to be above normal which is pretty much the trend we have been seeing since early March. I am not going to open pandora's box and blame it on "you know what" because long term data shows years here in the Twin States it has been worse than this.
* Have yourself a great Thursday. See you on Good Morning Meridian and on the news tonight when I am reporting on something! Don't forget to wake up and tune in 30 minutes earlier Monday as we start our new Good Morning Meridian: Early Edition... so GMM is now going to be 90 minutes long from 5:30 - 7:00.
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Radar Update:
(7:00 AM - Click for larger view)
* The rain mass with some embedded thunder will continue to move through the area this morning. I expect rain totals anywhere from 0.10" to 0.25" in some spots. The heavier rains seem to be south of US 80 and along the US 84 corridor.
Good Morning Meridian Not On Air...
* We're having some technical issues getting us on the air this morning. Our staff is working to get us on tv as soon as possible.
* In the meantime, until we get back on the air please visit our weather page to get the latest forecast and current radar:
http://www.wtok.com/weather
Showers Today & Nice Weather Heading Toward The Weekend:
(5:00 AM - Click for larger view)
* A band of rain with some embedded thunder will work its way across Mississippi and in West Alabama this morning. No severe weather is expect with this rain mass but we could see up to 0.25" of rain in some spots... not enough to help the drought but every little drop helps.
* Beyond today it looks to be a nice week with sunshine dominating the forecast through early weekend. Highs will head back into the upper 70s and lower 80s later this week. Weekend plans look to be in shape with partly cloudy skies and low 80s for the area.
* Hope everyone enjoyed meeting Trent last night on the newscasts. Trent is the hometown guy from the Meridian area and is the new head of the weather team. Our work schedules are going to be a bit off for a while. Trent will be here on Tuesday - Friday nights and I am covering the morning shifts and the Monday night shows until we get everything settled. So for those of you wondering I am still here... I am still WTOK's morning meteorologist until the end of January. When that time comes, no telling where I will be!
* More news in the morning: Starting next week Andrea and I are going to be with you even earlier in the morning. Starting Monday, we launch Good Morning Meridian: Early Edition at 5:30 AM. This means East Mississippi and West Alabama will now have 90 minutes of news, weather and sports to start your day. Our new 5:30 show is going to focus more on local and national news and of course weather while our normal 6:00 - 7:00 AM time shot will stay the same format your use to on GMM. So I guess this means I have to get to bed a bit earlier now... not to mention make sure those contacts aren't dried out at 5:30 so I am not blinking so bad...lol!
* See you on Good Morning Meridian and catch Trent tonight on Newscenter 11...
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Another Nice Day Tuesday... Rain Returns Wednesday:
* Another nice day will set up for Tuesday across the Twin States. We'll see another cool morning across the area with upper 30s and lower 40s. It will be warmer during the day on Tuesday as a warm front will move up through Mississippi and Alabama and will bring a warmer airmass into the area. Daytime highs will climb into the 80s by afternoon.
* A storm system across Texas will move toward our area bringing rain chances back into the forecast late Tuesday night and into Wednesday. There may be a few thunderstorms Tuesday night but I don't expect severe weather. Wednesday will probably remind you of a London or Seattle type day with cloudy skies and light rain or drizzle. It will be humid with high temperatures in the lower 70s.
* The U.S. Drought Monitor now places all of the WTOK viewing area under a Severe Stage Drought... more specifically a Agricultural and Hydrological Drought.
US Drought Monitor:
http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.htmlLabels: Forecast Discussion
Storm Spotter Class Later This Month:
* A reminder the National Weather Service in Jackson will be in Lauderdale County for a SKYWARN Storm Spotter Class in our area later this month:
Lauderdale Co. Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) Office
(Located across from the Meridian Central Fire Station on the hill)
April 23, 2007 at 7:00 PM
FMI: David Sharp 601-482-9852
Labels: Public Information Statements
Dry & Pleasant Weather:
* Great weather to start the week but a very chilly start. At the time I write this Key Field sits at 32 degrees. I will note this ties the low today of 32 degrees set back in 1950. The normal low is 50 degrees.. so nearly 20 degrees below normal. We'll see a nice warmup today as this dry air warms efficently with daytime highs back into the lower 70s.
* A warm front will move through the area tomorrow and will help highs warm up into the lower 80s. A storm over the Four Corners region will work across the Deep South and bring clouds and showers to the area on Wednesday. No severe weather expected or heavy rain. It just looks to be a cloudy with on and off showers. Once we get past that period looks like a nice week for the area.
* Drought update: We are placed under a Severe Drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor for Eastern Mississippi and Western Alabama. The strong to severe thunderstorms brought some rain on Saturday but not enough to make much of a dent in the drought issue.
* Have yourself a good day. I'll have more tonight at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 PM
Labels: Forecast Discussion
Deadly Tornado in South Carolina
While our area was fortunate in that there were no deaths or injuries from the storms on Saturday, the same can not be said tonight in South Carolina. At about 8:35 this morning, an EF3 tornado (winds 136-165mph) struck just east of the town of Mulberry in Sumter County, SC. One person was killed and three others were injured. Several mobile homes were destroyed, and reports indicate that those people killed and injured were likely in the mobile homes when the tornado struck. The tornado was on the ground for 14 miles.
This is a painfull reminder that mobile homes are not a safe place to be during thunderstorms. With the walls of a mobile home not as structurally strong as a house, they can easily be destroyed. If a severe thunderstorm approaches your area while you're in a mobile home, go to a house or building that provides better shelter.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those in Mulberry as tonight and the days ahead will be quite difficult for them.
Saturday's Storm Reports
Here's a list of severe weather reports from the Newscenter11 area yesterday:
Tornado:A weak F0 (winds 65-85mph) briefly touched down about nine miles west of Ellisville in Jones County. It was a very brief touchdown and no damage was done.
Hail:Pea size hail west of Thomastown in Leake County.
Pea size hail in Calhoun in Jones County.
Nickel size hail between Ludlow and Lena in Leake County.
Nickel size hail in Shady Grove Community north of Laurel in Jones County.
Wind:Trees blown down west of Thomastown in Leake County.
Trees blown down in Buckatunna area in Wayne County.
Numerous trees were blown down also in Wayne County near the state line.
Trees and power lines were blown down about ten miles northwest of Jackson along AL Hwy 69 near Salitpa in Clarke County, Alabama.
Outside of the Newscenter11 area, an EF1 tornado (winds 86-110mph) touched down east of the Sunrise Community in Forrest County, which is about five miles east/southeast of Petal. A home suffered significant damage, while another received minor damage. The tornado also tore down/uprooted several trees and power lines. The highest wind speed with this tornado was estimated at about 90mph.
Cool Day and Cold Night
* Today was quite a bit cooler than yesterday. The high in Meridian today was 60, as compared to the 77 we enjoyed on Sunday! We can say "thank you" to the wind that was blowing up to 30mph at times for bringing in the cooler temperatures. The winds have died down now that the sun has set, but could be breezy again on Monday anwhere from 10-20mph from the northwest.
* With the winds dying down and clear skies above us means that frost is possible tonight, but mainly in the outlying areas area from the city heat. The best chance of seeing frost will be in areas along and north of I-20, and even then it will be in patchy areas. Temperatures tonight will dip into the mid-30s. Hopefully this will be the last time that we see the 30s until next fall. I am not a fan of cold weather in April.
