It’s been a muggy past 24 hours with a warm front pulling some Gulf moisture through much of Mississippi and Louisiana last night and this morning. We had a few showers and thunderstorms overnight, but nothing severe to speak of. The rain should be out of here by the afternoon with a few stray showers leaving with the incoming cold front. Afterwards, prepare for much cooler temperatures behind it.
As the sun rises on Sunday, temperatures will reach the mid 30s and eventually reach the low 40s during the day. The clouds will be clearing out as the day goes on, but expect some chilly northwest winds to cut through. Overnight into Monday, it will be much colder with temperatures falling into the low to mid 20s. During the day, it’ll still be quite chilly with temperatures struggling to reach 40 degrees and northern winds cutting through with gusts around 20mph.
I’ll just make a PSA with the 3 P’s. Pets, Plants, and Pipes. When it’s cold, bring them inside and cover them. That’s what you need to do for the next several days. Turn on your faucets so pipes don’t burst.
So now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The snow forecast! This one has been a doozy to say the least as the main two models, the GFS and Euro models have been in agreement about the snowfall while the ICON model cuts it pretty short at Louisiana. Personally, I think there’s a decent chance that winter precipitation is going to happen. Most of the worst of it will likely happen between the Louisiana/Mississippi border north of Baton Rouge. However, many of us around the Highway 98 to Highway 84 corridor will likely see the effects of the snow as well.
The conservative number that’s going around is around 2-4″ of accumulation and I think I’ll stick to that for now. Considering the air temperature is already below freezing before the arrival of the low and a lack of melting temperatures in the atmosphere, snow is the likely precipitation. The main concern we’ll have to be aware of is the ground temperature. If the ground is able to reach the freezing point before the snow arrives, we’ll see more accumulation. One other big concern for those around the MS/AL/FL coast is freezing rain. Since temperatures won’t freeze until much later when the winter weather moves in, there is also a slight break in the freezing point in the mid-levels which may lead to ice on the roads. Be aware if you live in these areas as the roads and bridges will likely ice over.
The main concern for us on Tuesday is icy roads and pathways. If you’re driving on the main highways, bridges will ice since there’s no insulation below and areas under overpasses will likely ice over (don’t ask me how I found out). If you’re on the main roads, it’s likely that MDOT will salt the roads beforehand as a precaution, but don’t think that will solve the whole problem. Some spots may still be icy for the next day or so, so drive carefully.
From Tuesday into Wednesday, it’s going to be cold, and I mean cold. Temperatures will fall under 20 degrees, so make sure you take care of your three P’s before going to bed. The wind chill will make it even worse with it feeling like it’s in the single digits! As the day goes on, the clouds will clear out and we’ll feel temperatures in the upper 30s with wind chills in the 20s.
Select Data Set:
Regional Day-to-Day Forecast
Today – Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high in the low 70s. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight – Partly cloudy, with a low in the mid 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday – Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high in the low 40s. North northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday Night – Clear, with a low in the low 20s. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
M.L.King Day – Sunny, with a high in the upper 30s. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night – A 20 percent chance of snow showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low in the low 20s. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday – Snow showers likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high in the low 30s. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night – A 20 percent chance of snow showers before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low in the upper teens. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday – Sunny, with a high near 40. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night – Partly cloudy, with a low in the upper teens.
Thursday – Partly sunny, with a high in the mid 40s.
Thursday Night – A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low in the mid 20s.
Friday – A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high in the upper 40s.
