Saturday, February 28, 2009

Read for snow locations...

I'm currently watching the Upper Level Low (our snow maker) move enter in Mississippi. Temps are also crashing quickly along with a strong Northwest wind. Snow has been hitting the Memphis and Jackson, TN region for a long time now, and I have already heard reports of numerous wrecks on Interstate 40. No, I do not expect heavy snow fall here in South Mississippi, but the impact of this system will continue to make it's presents known across the whole eastern portion of the country.

What do I expect for winter precip in the Pine Belt? My thoughts still stay the same from last night's discussion. I really think the area closer to Meridian and Interstate 20 have the best chance of seeing snow. Most of our viewers won't see any snowfall, but I do expect some folks to see snow flurries very late into the night and into Sunday morning. Accumulation is not expected even though temps will be dropping below freezing around daybreak since we will struggle to find any moisture to form ice crystals in the snow growth region. The warm soil temperature will help keep roadways clear of winter mix. I feel any precip will tapper off by mid-morning because the moisture will be quickly run dry.

If you are lucky enough to see any snow flurries I suspect the timing to be after midnight and into early morning. Stay safe and stay warm! Thanks for reading! tcade@wdam.com

Friday, February 27, 2009

Storms Tonight then Flurries Possible

First...we must think about tonight. Temps in the upper 70's and dewpoint in the mid 60's is definitely foundation of our instability, which will continue to remain as we start the night. I expect a cold front to push through early Satuday morning, and this will set off a line of thunderstorms sweeping through South Mississippi. My main concern right now is the impact of damaging wind and hail. Some meteorologist have also added wording of a potential tornado or two, but most of my thinking is sticking with wind/hail.

After the cold front pushes through Saturday morning we will quickly be on our way to experiencing a very chilly North wind. The advancing cold front will allow us to reach a high temperature at the start of the day and progressivley get colder through the afternoon and night. Now, what could happen Saturday night?

Our placement after the Low Pressure system moves through puts us in an area capable of seeing snow flurries. Cold Air will definitely be filtering in from our Northwest behind the front, and the accumulated snow within the Central Plains will help keep the air cold as it drifts into our region. But we also need moisture for snow, right? Yes for any precip you need moisture, but the cold front will be removing a lot of moisture. I'm seeing that any left behind moisture looks to be to our northeast, and these areas should see the moisture squeezed out in the form of snow flurries. What is the timing on this? Flurries could be falling Saturday night and into early Sunday morning.

So at the end of the day I'm seeing the best chance of "snow flurries" (no accumulation expected) in the Northeast Quadrant of our viewing area. Meridian seems to have a good shot of snow flurries, and any of the towns close to Meridian have a good shot.

Check in tonight at 10p and Saturday at 6p and 10p for more updates! Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me at tcade@wdam.com

The "S" word!!!!

Hmmmm! We might see a little snow here in the Pine Belt Saturday night through early Sunday morning! Why? Well-if the cold air is in place and if there is enough moisture associated with an upper level disturbance that is forecast to move through, then we may see rain change over to snow! Of course everything must come together just right for that to happen! Tanner will have an update on that when newer model data comes in later today, so tune in for his 5:00 6:00 and 10:00 pm newscasts-he is filling in for Nick, who, lucky dog , has the day off! Have a great weekend! Rex

Lots to Talk About!

There's a lot to talk about in weather, but I'm going to try and keep it short and to the point because it's Friday, and who wants to read a lot on Friday. The good news is that we're now on the cusp of the severe risk area. This is good because yesterday we were in the severe risk area. As usual, don't put your guard down, but know that the greatest threat for severe weather is just to our North. As for the rain, count on scattered showers during the day, with the bulk of the showers pushing through tonight and into Saturday morning.

Here's where it gets really interesting. After tonight's rain... a blast of cold air moves our direction. Combine that with an upper level low nearby and we may squeeze out enough moisture for snow. In this scenario, the better chance appears to be to our north as well. But stay tuned.
-Nick

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Weather update!

Not as cloudy this afternoon as I expected so will call for sunny to partly sunny with highs in the low 70s. Partly cloudy tonight with lows in the mid 50s. Partly cloudy, warm and breezy on Thursday with highs in the mid 70s. Have a great afternoon! Rex

Milder weather on the way!

Expect mostly cloudy and mild weather today with highs in the upper 60s. Tonight mostly cloudy skies will hang around with lows in the mid 50s. Partly sunny and warmer weather is on tap for Thursday with highs in the mid 70s. A cold front will bring a chance for showers early Saturday followed by much cooler weather for the weekend. Rex

Monday, February 23, 2009

Warm air on its way

Warmer days are in our forecast this week. In fact, Wednesday through Friday we will have highs in the 70s. With this warmer air will also come increasing clouds and a stout southerly breeze. On Thursday, we may have gusts up to 25mph.

Late Friday a cold front will approach bringing us a shot at some more rain.

-Nick

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Rain...Rain...Is there Rain in the forecast?

The Big Weather Headline across the country is the snow storm in the far Northeast and the rainfall within the extreme drought of California. Everything inbetween the West and East Coast is rather stable. So here in Mississippi we sit under very stable conditions, and the barometer continues to show 1030mb for us here in Hattiesburg/Laurel. The most notable points to be made of today's weather are the sunny and windy conditions. A Northwest wind has gusted near 20mph at different times today, which I'm sure you felt as you were doing anything outside. The good news is the wind looks to be slacking up a bit as we move into the night and into the begin of our week. We will still be influenced by a high pressure system, but the pressure gradient is expected to decrease.

Our weather pattern for the next 4 days will be a simple warming trend as we will progressively gain more moisture on Tuesday and Wednesday. The clockwise wind flow around the eastward moving High will draw our neighborly moisture (the Gulf of Mexico) back into the Southern States. Then on Thursday I'm looking out for a few showers to develop along a Warm Front, and Friday/Saturday I'm also seeing a "mild" cold front sweep through the lower MS River Valley. I say "mild" because the cold front doesn't seem to be delivering the cold temps we have recently seen (*Remember what I discussed in yesterday's blog post. Please refer back to it.).

Overall, my forecast reflects a warm next 7Days. This is good news for some of us, but bad news for those who are beginning to miss the short winter season in South Mississippi. I'll definitely be breaking down our forecast tonight on the Weekend Nightbeat at 10pm. So please remember to watch as we all begin to plan for the last week of the month. Thanks for reading! -Tanner Cade (feel free to write at tcade@wdam.com)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

200th Weather Blog Post...with a lengthy weather discussion

Our big story of the day is the cold front passage through the Pine Belt, but this cold front will struggle to bring forth heavy down pours. Why? Well the last cold front, which passed through this past Wednesday night, left a solid dry air mass in it's wake. The dry air has still hung around today and is hindering the growth of heavy showers along the advancing cold front. Although I do know the moisture has slowly increased this afternoon but I don't expect our dewpoint to jump any higher than 40 degrees. The biggest thing helping to develop the light rain along the front is the upper level jet, which is tightening just a tad as it swings through MS and AL. The Upper Level flow will be squeezing out the existing moisture to produce the showers, and I expect the light rain to be out of our area before midnight.

What happens in the next 3 days after this front? Tomorrow will deliver a good chunk of sunshine as a strong High pressure system stabilizes the central portion of the country, but we will also see plenty of sunshine through Tuesday. Temps will be my main storyline as we will be below average with highs in the 50's on Sunday and Monday. Then Tuesday we will slowly experience a warm-up as temps nose our average mark in the mid-60's.

Days 4,5, and 6 on my 7Day forecast are warmer than normal, but, of course, another front looks to push through MS on Friday. The good news (6 days out from this event) is temps seems to remain in the 60's after the front moves through.

**Extra notes: I've picked out an interesting note about tonight's frontal passage as well as last Wednesday's front. Both fronts saw the upper level flow shift a tad northward across the country. What does this mean? Well I'm starting to notice our transition into spring as the cold Continental Polar Canadian air masses could begin to struggle to reach South Mississippi. I do expect more shots of cold air in the next two months, but our coldest days look to be behind us. **Also, after my first glance at our long term forecast, I see a couple of tidbits pointing towards a little warm up. Arctic Oscillation looks to go positive entering into March as the North Atlantic Oscillation hovers around neutral. Could we see a warm March as we have been relatively cooler in the first 2 months of '09? Stay tuned...And thanks for reading! Feel free to write at tcade@wdam.com. -Tanner Cade

Friday, February 20, 2009

Cold Nights with a Shot of Rain

This Friday night expect temps to drop below freezing again but we should rebound into the 60's tomorrow. Clouds will be on the increase Saturday, and we have a shot at some rain Saturday afternoon and evening.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Still Watching the Weather Scene...

Some severe thunderstorm warnings and isolated heavy rain cells have skirted through Mississippi this afternoon, but we are still watching our area tonight as the cold front will begin to run through South Mississippi. Severe weather variables are still lingering around tonight with midlevel activity still moderate to this point. Instability has decreased a little but the convective available potential energy is still fitting severe weather criteria. I'm currently watching some isolated heavy rain cells run through Pearl River County and Southern Forrest and Perry Counties. Also, Meridian is experiencing another shot of heavy rain and possibily some hail. The majority of the Tornado Warnings today have been posted in Alabama and Georgia. We'll keep you updated throughout the evening if anything does arise. Thanks for reading! - Tanner

Special Weather Statement from NWS

COVINGTON MS-JONES MS-
355 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND
40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 19 MILES WEST OF LAUREL AT 355 PM
CST...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY.

PEOPLE IN NORTHERN JONES AND NORTHEASTERN COVINGTON COUNTIES SHOULD
MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.

Moderate Risk for Severe Weather

(9:15am Wed) There's not much to talk about on the radar right now, but we are now under a moderate risk for severe weather today. Strong winds and large hail are possible, most likely somewhere between the hours of 11:00am and 6:00pm. This line of dangerous showers has not formed at this moment and it may not until it gets beyond the Pine Belt. However, keep your guard up today.
-Nick

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Bullseye Shifts

(10:00am Tuesday) With yesterdays high pressure having moved East, the door has been opened for Gulf moisture to clip across the Pine Belt today. I think most of what we will see this Tuesday will be off and on light rain. The potential severe activity should stay just North of the Pine Belt.

Our shot at Severe weather will come Wednesday morning and afternoon. The good news is that yesterday it looked like we were in a bullseye for severe development. The SPC was forecasting a 30% chance of severe weather for us and South Alabama. Today that "30% bullseye" has shifted more East toward Alabama. I'll illustrate this on tonight's news. While our outlook has improved, by no means are we in the clear. We still have a 15%-20% chance of of Severe Weather Wednesday. So stay tuned WDAM, On Air, On the Web, and now on Twitter for text updates.

http://twitter.com/nick_ortego
and
http://twitter.com/wdamweather

Monday, February 16, 2009

Severe Weather Wed?

(Monday 10:20am) The Pine Belt is under a slight risk for Severe Weather to develop Wednesday. Low pressure to our North will help pull gulf moisture through our region. If enough gulf moisture cuts through the Pine Belt, we may have enough instability develop in this warm sector ahead of the cold front. This will likely be the focal point of tonight's forecast, so be sure to tune in. Also, be sure to sign up for our Twitter accounts, and receive first hand information text directly to your phone.
http://twitter.com/nick_ortego
and
http://twitter.com/wdamweather

-Nick

Sunday, February 15, 2009

This Week in Weather Discussion

As expected, the sky cleared around midday and unveiled a beautiful sunset this evening. Now temps are beginning to fall into the 40's as we are starting to roll into a chilly night. Our overnight forecast portrays our fair weather friend, high pressure system, moving into the MS River Valley and sticking around throughout Monday.

Our biggest weather headline continues to be the rain forecast for Tuesday/Wednesday. It looks like we will see a Warm Front move through late on Tuesday, which will provide light showers going into Tuesday night. Then on Wednesday I expect to watch a cold front sweep through Mississippi and provide a decent shot at rainfall. Wednesday's activity involves a strengthening trough dipping down into the South and possibly producing variables adequate for severe weather. Certain elements are currently lacking to provide anything more than moderate rain on Wednesday morning and afternoon. We'll definitely keep you updated on this event...

Otherwise, our end-of-week forecast looks COOL. After Wednesday's Cold Front I'm expecting the whole eastern corridor of the U.S. to stick under a cold air mass for a few days. My forecast currently shows temps in the upper 50's starting on Thursday. -Tanner Cade

Thanks for reading! Please jump on over to our video page and watch "The Tanner Cade Hour".

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Drier weather in the near future

We still have another disturbance to our west that will take advantage of the remaining moisture in our atmosphere and produce some showers throughout our region tonight. The boundary is expected to exit east before Noon tomorrow, which can easily allow temps to touch 60 as the sun will make it's appearance. Otherwise, Sunday night into Monday night we will be drastically dry compared to these last few days.

The biggest weather story of the week will be the midweek cold front passage. This front will begin to develop along the West Coast tomorrow and make a loud impression across the U.S. between tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm in the early stages of studying the weather scene on Wednesday because this frontal system could have severe weather characteristics. I'll keep you updated... Thanks for reading! -Tanner Cade

Friday, February 13, 2009

Quick Update- Friday 3:45pm

Most locations are well over an inch in the Pine Belt. 1.2" @ WDAM. The rain will continue off and on through early Saturday morning. So far no watches or warnings have been issued. However, don't put your guard down just yet. Flash flooding conditions, isolated hail or t-storms are possible.
-Nick

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Overstaying its Welcome

There's a growing chance that Fridays rain may hang out in the Pine Belt longer then invited. As forecast, we still appear to be on track for a lot of moisture coming out of the Gulf Friday and bringing us a good amount of rain. This is all good in my opinion, because we are way behind on the wet stuff. In a perfect world, we would get all our rain Friday and then have a gorgeous Saturday, which is also Valentines.... but we all know, this not a perfect world.

Unfortunately, it seems that the cold front that will help push Friday's rain out of the Pine Belt is running behind schedule. This means that we may have some showers stick around Saturday morning. If you have stock in a nice Saturday... stay tuned...it will be a focus within our forecast for the next 24-48 hours.

-Nick

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Plenty of Sunshine Tomorrow

As expected the front pushed through very quickly this morning and we spent the majority of the day in sunshine. Temps tonight will fall into the lower 40's with some locations sneaking into the upper 30's. Our main forecast into tomorrow will be distinguished by a healthy 1025mb High Pressure System, and this will result in beautiful/calm conditions through Thursday. Although our next rainmaker will venture back into South Mississippi via another Low Pressure system to our west. (Remember this is the 3rd Low Pressure System I discussed with you back on Sunday) Friday morning this system will help draw in plenty of moisture from the Gulf to allow an outbreak of showers in the Lower MS River Valley.

My first glance at the most recent long term model forecast run shows me a typical story for this time of year. In our cycle of different frontal passages next weeks looks to have another shot at some rain about 7days out. Enjoy the beautiful weather tonight and tomorrow! -Tanner Cade

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Severe Weather Outlook

First off, whether or not we have severe storms in the next 18 hours... tonight will continue to be windy. We should see South winds around 10-25mph. We'll also see a chance of moderate showers through out the evening.

Between the early morning hours and noon Wednesday, we will have a chance of more intense weather. However, the best chance for severe weather will be concentrated North of I-20. This is good news for the Pine Belt. I believe we still have a chance of Heavy Showers and maybe some isolated severe storms or even an isolated tornado, but I think we will be off the hook when it comes to the most dangerous sections of the of the approaching squall line.

This storm system has already spawned multiple tornadoes around Oklahoma City. In fact, weather fans may want to check out www.KOCO.com to see some tornado footage that was caught live on the air.
-Nick

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Multiple Cold Fronts Influence Our Forecast

Our forecast this week includes three different Low Pressure systems (cold fronts). The first Low is moving through the Central Plains throughout tonight, but the strength of the High Pressure system near Florida will kick the advancing Low North of us. But, as this first system comes closer to our region on Monday, the pressure gradient will increase and deliver a breezy day tomorrow and into tomorrow night. Then the High over Florida will continue to deliver plenty of moisture from the Gulf on Tuesday, but the High will slowly drift eastward as our 2nd Low Pressure system (cold front) moves towards the MS River Valley. The 2nd cold front will bring a "clash" of warm/moist air and cooler/drier air. These two air masses along with strong upper level jet streak will help aid in the chance for severe weather along the MS River. Notice, I said along the MS River. I believe the greatest risk for Severe weather on Wednesday will be to our North and West of the Pine Belt region, but, as we are 3 days out, I cannot rule out the slight chance of isolated super cells on the southern end of the advancing cold front. Our Weather Team will definitely update you on Wednesday's situation on Monday and Tuesday. But we still have a 3rd Low Pressure System (cold front) to enter our region. The 3rd front is still 5 days out, but I am looking at this front delivering a good shot at some rainfall on Friday.

Please stay connected to this blog and our weather forecast for our busy weather week ahead. Thanks for reading and have a good week! -Tanner Cade

Friday, February 6, 2009

How About This Change?

(Friday 6:00pm) Considering Wednesday we did not get out of the 40s, today was a much welcomed change. Here at WDAM studios we climbed up to 69 degrees, and this weekend we will likely see the mid 70s.

Starting Monday night, we will have an increased chance of rain for the week, and it is Wednesday that I have one eye on. I'm expecting a surface low and a strong cold front to push through the Pine Belt and it may spark off some strong storms just ahead of it. Stay tuned over the weekend for more details.

-Nick

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Big Warm-Up Coming!!!

A big warm-up is coming to the U.S during the next few days!!! We will see temps in the 70s for the weekend for highs and lows in the 50s. A couple of storms systems may bring the risk of some severe weather next week. Will cold weather return after the big warm-up? Maybe! We will just have to wait and see! Rex

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Chill Goes On

Early this Wednesday morning we recorded 22 degrees at WDAM, 21 at PIB, and 26 at HBG. On top of that we maxed out in the mid-40s today. But believe it or not, tonight will probably be the coldest of nights. With plenty of arctic air in place, air temperature may drop to 20 degrees at some locations.

As promised, some warm relief is still scheduled for Friday.

-Nick

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Big Chill

This mornings low (Tuesday morning), we got down to 25 degrees at WDAM studios, 27 at PIB, and 27 at HBG. However, we are just getting started! Another arctic air mass is quickly approaching the Pine Belt and consequently Wednesday and Thursday morning will be extremely cold. To add insult to injury, Wednesday afternoon may not get out of the 40's.

There's an upside though.... By Friday we will get back into the 60s and we may see 70 over the weekend.

Stay warm until then.
-Nick

Monday, February 2, 2009

Reinforcements... Of Cold Air

Since the overnight and morning showers, winds have shifted to the NW at 5 -10 mph. Colder air is now moving into the Pine Belt and it is just the beginning. Tomorrow night a reinforcing cold front will push through, maintaining our cold conditions through much of the work week.

While we have become more acclimated to this cold weather, it does not help the fact that we are going to have very cold nights ahead. This week, I predict that we will have 2-3 nights that are in the 20s. So throw an extra blanket on the bed. We should not thaw out until Friday.
-Nick

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Rain starts our Monday

Some light showers and drizzle have already impacted South Mississippi tonight. This is due to the movement of a moderate boundary before the cold front passage. I'm currently looking at a line of rain through Arkansas and Tennessee, which directly correlates with the placement of the cold front. This front will really run through Mississippi rather quickly. So by midnight the front will enter the state, but at about mid-morning the front will be out of the state. Rain totals look to be around 0.25" as most of the rain could happen just before your morning drive to work. Although I am looking at the possibility of some trailing showers at 8am and 9am. Our High temp for the day is tricky to understand because the highest temperature could easily be at midnight tonight, and the afternoon temperature will level off only in the mid-50's.

This cold front will also be a main player in allowing more cold air into our region. Yes, by Wednesday we could have another shot of cold arctic air. Notice my 7Day forecast reflects Wednesday in the upper 40's.

Have a good Groundhog Day! tcade@wdam.com