Before I get started, I want to say that I apologize for going “light” on the forecast details, on-air and online, during the last 48 hours. I’ve been fighting a nasty bug and was running a 101+ fever from Tuesday morning until, well, 15 minutes before writing this. My fever is back down to 99.1, and I’m hoping some NyQuil overnight will help knock me back down to normal. That said, I don’t have much of a voice and my nose is still clogged.
Anyway! As the forecast continues to unfold, crinkles in the weather upstream from the Gulf Coast continue to shape what the area will see as we head through the weekend. As usual, things continue to evolve as we head toward the “main event” on Saturday and Sunday. And while things are far from “Locked in” by any means, we are starting to get a much better picture of how things will shake out.
So what changed?
A few things.
1. It looks like the rain Thursday and Friday will be pretty hit and miss. Umbrellas will still be needed, but it won’t be quite as widespread as suggested earlier this week.
2. Saturday may still feature a few strong / severe storms, but the threat for the heaviest rain is shifting north.
As the area of surface high pressure in Canada drops south and into the United States it will swing to the east before getting too far south. Because of this, the coldest of the air will likely hang around in the Ohio River Valley and point north and east.
So the cold shot for the South will be pretty short-lived. It will likely only last for Sunday and Monday. That means you’ll wake up Sunday morning to some pretty chilly temperatures and then Monday morning it will be quite cold. But by Tuesday, it looks like things will rebound a bit.
What hasn’t changed
1. Strong to severe storms will still be possible on Saturday. Mainly in the afternoon and evening. The main threat will be heavy rain (again, the heaviest of the rain should stay to the north), frequent lightning, gusty wind, hail (up to the size of quarters), and the possibility for a tornado.
2. Sunday and Monday will be cold. Temperatures in the morning will be around 35 to 40. Afternoon highs will be around 40. Monday morning, temperatures will be around 25 to 30. And it looks like the area will be below freezing for up to 12 hours Sunday night and into Monday morning.
3. The next system is still right on the heels of the cold air.
via GIPHY // Courtesy: Pivotal Weather
And depending on the track and strength of the next system in line, we may be in for another shot of some colder air.
The Bottom Line
A few showers Thursday and Friday will mean you’ll need an umbrella. Storms look possible on Saturday afternoon and evening, some could be severe, but the main concern is still rain and wind, though we can’t rule out hail and the possibility of a tornado. It will be much colder on Sunday and Monday. If you have exposed pipes, you’ll want to insulate them. Or, if you have plants outside, you’ll want to protect them.
