Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Cold Air filters into Pine Belt

Possibly the coldest air mass of the season will enter Mississippi by the end of the week.
A strong stream of cold air will drop into South Mississippi Friday, and high temperatures are only expected to be in the upper 40’s going into the weekend. Friday’s overnight forecast involves the potential for snow in the state, but many variables are still uncertain at this time.

Any small variation in the passage of the forecast Low can greatly change a snow forecast for the Southeast. Also, our soil temperature this time of year is still well above freezing, which will make it difficult for any accumulation.

The air mass above the surface will be cold enough Friday night for snow, but variables like the moisture content and upper-air convergence are lacking according to current forecast model runs. The consensus computer forecast does not depict any precipitation Friday or Saturday, but an outlier model does show a line of snow stretching from Houston, Texas, through Central Mississippi and into New England. While snow is unlikely at this time, the News 7 Weather Team will provide you with any future developments.

Today is not the first calendar day for winter, but December first marks the beginning of meteorological winter. The timing of the cold forecast this week is right on schedule with the start of the winter season, which includes December, January, and February.

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