How Low?

(6:00pm Monday) A freeze warning will be in place for the entire WDAM viewing area from 3:00AM until 8:00AM Tuesday morning. I'm calling for a low of 30 overnight. I believe those in and around the metro areas will be right on the cusp of freezing, but others in the rural areas will most likely fall below the freezing mark.

Two conditions that I'm watching are cloud cover and winds. Right now we have a good amount of both and that's a good thing. These conditions will aid in keeping warm air at the surface and give us a shot at staying above freezing. However, the forecast calls for the clouds to move out and the winds to die down.

Personally, I'll be taken extra care of some of my plants...
-Nick

Cold Nights Ahead

Looks like we have a couple cold nights on our way. I've been looking at conditions back in Arkansas today to see how this cold air mass is performing to the forecast conditions. It looks like the air mass is a few degrees colder than model output statistics is forecasting. So this knowledge has allowed me to drop temps a few degrees cooler than most people are forecasting. The air mass is strong so it is expected to make it all the way to the coast, but the biggest challenge seems to be tuesday night's low forecast. Will the air mass stick around in Eastern MS? We'll face that question after tomorrow night's possible record breaking temp happens. The tough news to face will be the windy conditions through tuesday evening. Cool temps and a 10-20mph wind will equal uncomfortable conditions outside tomorrow. The reason for the wind comes as a result of the tight pressure gradient maintaining it's hold till the cold air mass exits Wednesday morning. I hope you can make it through these next couple of nights because things will warm up after Wednesday. tcade@wdam.com (you can also find me on twitter at twitter.com/wdamtannercade)

Cold air mass heading South

Tomorrow could be a very interesting day for us here in South Mississippi. Some of us could see some light showers associated with a warm front early tomorrow morning, which will also help allow afternoon temps to near the 80 degree mark. Then during the warm afternoon, some folks in central mississippi will stumble across some small and brief thunderstorms. Here in the Pine Belt I'm thinking most of won't see much rain tomorrow afternoon, but the chance is still around for our day outlook. The biggest story in the weather world is definitely the cold air moving in on Monday. The cold air is the coldest we have seen awhile, but we must be thankful for the sun angle here in early April. Our temps could possibly be 10 degrees cooler on Monday/Tuesday if we were in January. Looks for temps at the start of the week to be in the upper 50's. The overnight temp on Monday could fall into the upper 20's, but we won't have perfect radiational cooling elements since the wind will still be above 5mph. The light breeze will help keep energy trapped near the surface (ground). So remember your flowers, vegetables, and a jacket overnight Monday and Tuesday. This cold air won't really leave until Wednesday. tcade@wdam.com

Follow Nick/Tanner on Twitter and WDAM.com

Abundant sunshine is aiding in more instability here in South Mississippi.  We might not be able to update this blog very often today as we are very busy in the weather center.  So please check out our live streaming coverage on wdam.com and follow Tanner and Nick on Twitter: twitter.com/wdamnickortego and twitter.com/wdamtannercade.  You can also watch our twitter updates on the main weather page on the lower right side.  

Rex will be in the weathercenter through early afternoon and then Nick will be in for the handoff.  Tanner will probably be in several different locations today because he wants to follow any storms in our area to help keep you better informed.  

Some limiting factors are still uncertain as of now, but please stay connected with our complete local coverage of the weather scene here in the Pine Belt.  Thanks so much for following us today and please stay safe!  As for now please email us at rexthompson@wdam.com, nortego@wdam.com, and tcade@wdam.com.  

Take Care

Follow us on Twitter!

Since tomorrow can easily be a big day in the weather world I need to direct your attention to Twitter. For more in-depth details concerning our weather world here in the Pine Belt make sure to follow Nick Ortego and Tanner Cade on Twitter:

twitter.com/WDAMNickOrtego
twitter.com/WDAMTannerCade

This is a great communication source to follow during severe weather events like tomorrow. Also feel free to email us at tcade@wdam.com or nortego@wdam.com

Severe Weather Event Thursday !

It is looking more and more likely that a severe weather event will occur over Mississippi during the day on Thursday. Very strong low pressure will drag a cold front during the afternoon through our area resulting in the strong possibility of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center says some of the possible tornadoes could be of the strong/long track variety. Please stay tuned to WDAM and to wdam.com for the latest on this developing weather situation. Rex

Moderate Risk for Severe Weather

The SPC has issued a moderate risk for severe weather on Thursday, and it sits right on top of Mississippi and Alabama. In short this means that there's the potential for golf ball to baseball size hail, strong damaging winds, and the potential for supercells that may produce long track tornadoes.

Now before you "head for the hills", know that the area at risk is rather large and I highly doubt that everyone in MS and AL will see weather like described above. In fact, current indicators suggest that central MS... North of 1-20 is at most risk for widespread severe weather. While in South MS, indicators suggest more isolated severe weather. The good news is that no matter where it passes in MS, it should be a daylight event.

We are still 24 hours out so everyone keep there guard up and continue to count on WDAM to bring you the latest.

-Nick