Some interesting weather changes ahead... After a cold morning, afternoon temperatures are warming slowly due to increasing high clouds; most spots will end up in the upper 40s and low 50s. For tonight, partially cloudy and not as cold with morning lows in the 31 to 34 degree range. And right on cue with our "up and down" theme of the past couple weeks, mild, pleasant weather returns for Saturday/Valentine's Day. Thanks to a southwest breeze and lots of sunshine, afternoon temperatures reach the middle and upper 60s, which is above average.
As you can probably guess, more changes are ahead for Sunday and next week. A cold front arrives late Saturday, delivering seasonably cool air that will knock Sunday's highs down to the low/middle 50s. Clouds begin increasing Sunday evening and night in advance of s storm system that will bring rain and winter precipitation to the Deep South on Monday. The system moves into the state late Sunday night and early Monday morning; confidence is increasing that temperatures will be cold enough over the northern half of Mississippi for the precip to fall as Freezing rain and sleet that will likely cause roads to become icy, making travel difficult and dangerous. Widespread icing/travel problems are most likely within the area along and north of Highway 82 (north of a line from Greenville to Greenwood to Columbus), but embedded pockets of freezing rain and sleet within the primary rain band are certainly possible as far south as Vicksburg, Yazoo City, and Louisville. Along and south of I-20, simply a cold rain throughout the day Monday.
A second disturbance swings across the state Tuesday; if timing works out just right, the disturbance will phase-in with cold air and Gulf moisture, kicking off a brief round of light snow. At this stage, South Mississippi (south of I-20) has the best shot at seeing light snow due to higher moisture levels. Keep in mind, this is a complex forecast and there's still plenty of time for amounts, timing, and fine details to change. As always, we'll keep you posted
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Michael Haynes
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