Cold enough for ya? Many spots are waking up with temperatures in the teens and 20s and a fresh coating of freezing rain and sleet. With the wind howling overnight, most of the main roads south of I-20 are likely “generally okay” but will have ample icy spots. So if you have to get out and about, please take it slow on the roads. Because it would be fine for 99% of the trip, but that one icy spot will be what might get you.
As far as the forecast goes, the precip is leaving and the cold air is moving in. The good news is that this burst of cold air will be rather transient and the coldest of it will only around for about 36 hours.
This afternoon many spots will struggle to get above freezing and then overnight tonight we will be back down into the teens in many spots. single digits north of I-20. I don’t know how much stock I put in the sub-zero temperatures shown on the model guidance, as these models tend to over-do cold when there is snow on the ground, but it will be very cold in northern Mississippi and Alabama.
Then we start to moderate the cold. By tomorrow afternoon highs will be back to around 40F.
And beyond that we get even more back toward normal…. Until Friday night and into Saturday morning. Then we dip back into the 20s for one night. No precip with this round of cold, just regular ol’ cold.
And then, don;t look now, but late next week we have yet another system! This one may feature another risk for storms and the potential for severe weather.
The ECMWF operational model, the GFS operational model and the CIPS Analogs all point to a risk for sever storms next Thursday/Friday.
But for now, enjoy the change of pace and the colder weather!
REGIONAL DAY TO DAY FORECAST
Tuesday: Cold and breezy. Highs in the low 30s. Northwest wind at 10mph gusting to 20mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Very cold. Lows in the teens to around 20F. Wind calm.
Wednesday: Sunny. Not as cool with highs in the mid 40s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Cold with lows in the upper 20s. East winds around 5 mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Not as cool with highs in the upper 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the evening. Not as cool with lows in the lower 40s. South winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.
Friday Night: Clear. Much colder with lows in the lower 20s.
Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Cold with lows in the mid 20s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy. Cold with lows in the lower 30s.
Monday: Partly sunny in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening. Not as cool with lows in the upper 40s.
