MS News Now, First Alert Weather Blog

Early Fall Preview Late Week; Summer Air Returns Next Week

THURSDAY: In the wake of our front, drier air will rush into central and southwest Mississippi – ushering in a ‘fall-esque’ crispness. After starting in the 60s, we’ll rebound to the middle to upper 80s under a mainly sunny sky. Winds may be a bit breezy at times from the north, gusting to 20 mph at times. Overnight, clear skies will allow for lows to fall through the 60s; a few cool pockets could briefly drop into the upper 50s by early Friday morning. 


FRIDAY: After the cool start, expect sunshine to win out the day and a nice rebound through the afternoon hours. Morning 50s and 60s will give way to afternoon 80s amid a fresh northerly breeze. Under clear skies again, lows will fall back to the lower 60s into early Saturday morning. 

 
EXTENDED FORECAST: With high pressure over the area – our weather pattern remains quiet through the upcoming weekend. Sunshine continues to prevail Saturday with highs topping out near 90 amid the lower humidity. Gradually, humidity levels will increase as high pressure slips eastward. A few pop-up downpours could be a part of the Sunday afternoon story, mainly south of I-20. Highs will still manage the lower 90s amid mostly to partly sunny skies. Next week features daily chances for rain and storms, but not a complete washout with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s.  


TALKIN' TROPICS: Hurricane Larry continues nears Bernuda today - taking a close pass at the island today, lashing it with rain and tropical storm force winds. The storm continue to push northward, gradually weakening - but is still expect to bring some impacts to the Canadian Maritimes and even, in its extra-tropical form this weekend, bringing snows to Greenland. Tropical Depression Mindy will get torn apart as it moves eastward off the SE US coastline, but not before bringing waves of rain for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Two disturbances in the Atlantic basin bear watching as well - mainly, the cluster of storms in the western Caribbean that will drift into the Bay of Campeche into the weekend. While it may not form into a consolidated system, it is likely to yield a plume of moisture that could better chances for showers and storms across the Gulf States, especially Texas, into next week. We'll continue to monitor it and the other system moving off western Africa.
 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Front Ushers in Fall-Like Air Late Week

WEDNESDAY: Our second front will on approach the area through Wednesday evening – ahead of it, expect a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures spiking into the lower to middle 90s for most areas. A few pop-up storms can’t be ruled out, but overall coverage remains low. As the front sweeps south, the drier air will begin to filter in – lows will drop into the 60s by early Thursday.  


THURSDAY: In the wake of our front, drier air will rush into central and southwest Mississippi – ushering in a ‘fall-esque’ crispness. After starting in the 60s, we’ll rebound to the middle to upper 80s under a mainly sunny sky. Overnight, clear skies will allow for lows to fall through the 60s; a few cool pockets could briefly drop into the upper 50s by early Friday morning.  

 
EXTENDED FORECAST: Bright sunshine and the ‘fall-esque’ feel in the humidity department will hang around through late week and into the start of the weekend. We’ll be in the 80s for highs Friday, near 90 Saturday with mainly sunny skies and lower humidity. Lows late week will be in the lower to middle 60s. Gradually, we’ll rebound back into ‘normal’ territory by Sunday and into next week with highs in the lower 90s. Chances for a few storms could return as early as Sunday; more scattered activity by mid-week. 

TALKIN' TROPICS: Hurricane Larry continues to track closer to Bermuda - likely not hitting the island directly, but tropical storm conditions are expected through late week. Along the US East Coast, while no direct impacts are expected, rip currents and large swells remain an indirect issue that will last for a few more days as the storm turns northward. Elsewhere - in the Gulf of Mexico, a tropical wave is spreading periods of heavy rain along the northern Gulf Coast, but is expected to shift eastward and will not directly impact Mississippi. Regardless of development, the storm is expected to yield heavy rains for parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina through late week. Another system rolling of western Africa has a LOW chance for development through the next several days and is expected to drift farther north, more quickly, through the weekend.

 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Few Storms Tuesday; Drier Air and Fronts Keep Gulf Wave Away

TUESDAY: The nearby front will help to keep the weather a bit unsettled for a few folks today with a risk for a few storms, generally S/E of Metro Jackson by the afternoon and evening hours. Outside of that, expect mostly to partly sunny skies with highs to rebounding to the upper 80s to near 90 by the afternoon hours; lows will bottom out around 70. Storms will tend to fade overnight and into early Wednesday. 

 
WEDNESDAY: Our second front will on approach the area through Wednesday evening – ahead of it, expect a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures spiking into the lower to middle 90s for most areas. A few pop-up storms can’t be ruled out, but overall coverage remains low. As the front sweeps south, the drier air will begin to filter in – lows will drop into the 60s by early Thursday.  

 
EXTENDED FORECAST: Bright sunshine and a ‘fall-esque’ feel in the humidity department comes into play, post-front. We’ll be in the 80s for highs Thursday with mainly sunny skies and lower humidity that will be more akin to early fall. Lows late week will be in the lower to middle 60s. Gradually, we’ll rebound back into ‘normal’ territory by the weekend with highs in the lower 90s. Chances for a few storms could return as early as Sunday or into early next week.  

TALKIN' TROPICS: Hurricane Larry continue to churn up the Atlantic Ocean, causing large swells and rip currents along the US East Coast. The NHC has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the island of Bermuda as the storm is expected to track nearby to the island nation late Wednesday into Thursday. In the Gulf, the disturbance we've been keeping an eye on may quickly develop into a short-lived tropical system before moving onshore in Florida through mid-week. The multiple fronts moving across the state of Mississippi will keep this system away from our area and will shunt it eastward.


Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

 

Few Storms Labor Day; Drier Air Returns Late Week

LABOR DAY MONDAY: Rounding out the long holiday weekend, expect an opportunity for scattered showers to kick off the day, but chances will dwindle through the afternoon hours – gradually trending partly sunny with highs in the middle 80s. The front kicking off the rain chances will slip slowly southward through the day – and stalls out. This will keep the pattern a bit unsettled for a few days. Lows will fall back to the upper 60s to lower 70s with partly clear skies.  


TUESDAY: The nearby front will help to keep the weather a bit unsettled with partly sunny sky and a risk for a few showers and storms, generally S/E of Metro Jackson. Expect highs to rebound to the upper 80s to near 90 by the afternoon hours; lows will bottom out around 70.  

 
EXTENDED FORECAST: Another front will move toward the region by Wednesday – helping to spark a few showers and storms and usher in a drier airmass by late week. Highs will top out near 90 ahead of the front; we’ll be in the 80s for highs Thursday with mainly sunny skies and lower humidity that will be more akin to early fall. Lows late week will be in the lower to middle 60s. Gradually, we’ll rebound back into ‘normal’ territory by the weekend with highs in the lower 90s. Chances for a few storms could return as early as Sunday or into early next week.  

TALKIN' TROPICS: Hurricane Larry continues to churn through the open waters of the Atlantic, rounding the back side of ridge of high pressure to its north. Larry will make a close pass to Bermuda through mid-late week. Indirectly, large swells and rip current issues will be an issues for the parts of the Antilles, Bahamas and along the US East Coast. In the Gulf, a disturbance will yield a surge of moisture northward that could uptick periods of rain for the northern Gulf Coast, getting strung up along a stalled front. There is the chance the storm could quickly spin up to TD or TS status, but highest impacts of heavy rain will 
 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx 

Seasonable Labor Day Weekend Ahead

FRIDAY: With high pressure over the area – expect a quiet end to the work week across the region. Sunshine will fade a bit behind high cirrus clouds streaming in from the north. Highs will top out in the upper 80s to lower 90s amid tolerable humidity levels for early September. Clouds will hang around through Friday night with lows dipping into the upper 60s to lower 70s. 
 

WEEKEND PLANNER: High pressure will ease farther east through the weekend, gradually filtering more moisture into the region off the Gulf of Mexico. Skies go from morning cloudiness to afternoon sunshine through Saturday – turning partly cloudy by Sunday with a few hit and miss storms returning by that point. Highs will run in the lower 90s, lows will be in the lower 70s. Rain chances will likely increase with the approach of a front late Sunday into Monday. 

 
EXTENDED PLANNER: A few more opportunities for showers and storms will emerge next week as a few fronts approach the region. Expect the first front to move into the area by Labor Day Monday – this will spark scattered downpours, yet, not a complete washout. The front will fade Tuesday, but another front will approach mid-week – kicking off another chance for scattered storms. Expect highs to hang in the upper 80s to lower 90s with lows in the 70s. Drier air filters in late week – putting lows in the 60s again to round out the week. 

TALKIN' TROPICS: With Ida out of the picture - all eyes have turned to what Larry is doing in the Atlantic Ocean - while it will likely stay far away from land through much of next 5 days, it'll approach Bermuda by mid-late next week, all the while, could cause increased swells along the Eastern Seaboard through next week. The disturbance near the Cape Verde Islands is expected to continue to fade away into obscurity. Closer to home, a disturbance we've been keeping an eye on in the western Caribbean still is something to monitor over the next few days. There have been some indications the storm could gather itself as it moves into the southwest Gulf at some point next week. At any rate, a surge of tropical moisture may affect parts of Texas by late next week.
 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Slight Drop In Humidity Post-Front

THURSDAY: As the front continues to trek through the area – gradually drier air will filter into the region along with clearing skies. Highs will top out in the upper 80s to lower 90s with an opportunity for a lingering shower to kick off the day. With the drier air in place, it’ll allow, under mainly clear skies, for temperatures to dip into the middle 60s overnight – a comfortable feel for early September. 



 
FRIDAY: With high pressure over the area – expect a quiet end to the work week across the region. Sunshine will fade a bit behind high cirrus clouds streaming in from the north. Highs will top out in the upper 80s to near 90 amid tolerable humidity levels for early September. Skies will clear again as we head into the overnight period with lows in the middle to upper 60s.   
EXTENDED FORECAST: High pressure will ease farther east through the weekend, gradually filtering more moisture into the region off the Gulf of Mexico. Skies will remain mostly sunny Saturday – turning partly cloudy by Sunday with a few hit and miss storms returning by that point. Highs will run in the lower 90s. A few more opportunities for showers and storms could emerge next week, but still not anticipating a washout.  

TALKIN' TROPICS: Ida's footprint has grown further as heavy rain and severe weather rocked the Mid-Atlantic and New England over the past 24 hours; finally, the storms is fading quickly as it get pulled northward, but its overall impacts may continue in eastern Canada into Friday. Hurricane Larry continues to grow larger and stronger on its westward journey. As of now, no land impacts are expected in the next 7 days, but Bermuda should keep an eye on the storm as it could make a close pass as the island nation. 2 other disturbances have also been designated - one near Central America and another rolling off western Africa - both of which has low-end chances for development in the coming week.


Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Late Summer Heat Returns Ahead of Early September Front

WEDNESDAY: An approaching front will help to usher in drier air through the middle to latter part of the work week. Expect mostly to partly sunny skies – along the front, a few showers and storms may flare up, but chances will remain isolated during the day. Highs will top out in the lower to middle 90s – feeling like 103-109. As the front slips south, scattered storms may continue through the overnight period with lows in the upper 60s and lower 70s. 

THURSDAY: As the front continues to trek through the area – gradually drier air will filter into the region along with clearing skies. Highs will top out in the upper 80s to lower 90s with an opportunity for a lingering shower or storm to kick off the day. With the drier air in place, it’ll allow, under mainly clear skies, for temperatures to dip into the middle 60s overnight – a comfortable feel for early September.  


EXTENDED FORECAST: In the front’s wake, we’ll remain dry and bright through late week with highs, generally, in the 80s; lows dipping well into the 60s. High pressure will begin to scoot off toward the east, bringing back an uptick in humidity by the weekend, yielding a chance for a few storms – yet not a washout with highs in the lower 90s, lows near 70. Higher chances for rain and storms may come mid-week as a front move toward the region.  

TALKIN' TROPICS: Ida continues to plague the Mid-Atlantic and New England states with heavy rain, breezy winds and severe weather as the storm continues to lift farther north through Wednesday. In the Atlantic, Tropical Depression Kate continues to struggle in the same environment that cause Julian's ultimate fate earlier in the week. The storm likely won't make it much more than the next 24 hours or so. Near the Cape Verde Islands, Tropical Storm Larry continue to buzz its westward and is likely to become our next major hurricane in the next few days. No impacts to land are expected through the next week or so, but we'll continue to monitor its progress. In the SW Caribbean, another disturbance still has a low chance for development through the next 5 days. At any rate, heavy rain and squalls will be possible in Central America and Mexico.

Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Ida Departs; Clouds Break Gradually Tuesday

TUESDAY: As Ida’s circulation pulls away, lingering showers will be possible north of I-20 along with breezy W/NW winds. Drier air will continue to filter in from the west, allowing for some sun breaks through the afternoon hours, allowing for highs to work their way to into the 80s. Areas east of I-55, where clouds will be more dominant, will see highs in the lower to middle 80s; west of I-55, 80s to near 90 with more afternoon sun. Skies will continue to clear overnight as the storms moves farther away with lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s. 


WEDNESDAY: An approaching front will help to usher in drier air through the middle to latter part of the work week. Expect mostly to partly sunny skies – along the front, a few showers and storms may flare up, but chances will remain isolated. Highs will top out in the lower to middle 90s. We’ll drop into the 60s to lower 70s overnight with mostly clear skies. 
 
EXTENDED FORECAST: In Ida’s wake a front will help drag down a fresh, drier air mass through late week – pulling down humidity levels and temperatures. We’ll turn dry and bright Thursday and Friday with highs, generally, in the 80s; lows dipping well into the 60s. High pressure will begin to scoot off toward the east, bringing back an uptick in humidity by the weekend, yielding a chance for a few storms – yet not a washout with highs in the lower 90s, lows near 70. 


TALKIN' TROPICS: Ida continues to weaken, but is still bringing heavy rain and gusty breezes to Tennessee and Alabama this morning - the general track continue to push it farther east, drenching parts of the Mid-Atlantic over the next day or so. In the Atlantic basin, Tropical Depression Kate continues to be disorganized and it pushes farther north and remaining out at sea. A wave coming off Africa has a high chance for development to either a tropical depression or storm by the end of the week. If it garners a name, its name would be 'Larry'. In Caribbean, a weak disturbance off the Central American coast has a low chance for development, but we'll continue to monitor it over the next few days.

 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

ALERT DAY: Rain, Wind Impacts From Ida Through Monday

IDA AND ITS IMPACTS: An ALERT DAY will be in place through Monday as Ida makes its way through central and southwest Mississippi, bringing rain, wind and the possibility of a few tornadoes as well. Expect strong wind gusts of 40-70 mph to continue through mid-morning before tapering to 30-50 mph gusts as the storm continues to weaken through the day. All the while, near and east of I-55, expect heavy rain that could lead up to flooding concerns and the potential for spin-up tornadoes as Ida unravels along its northward trek. Gradually, things will tamp down through tonight as the storm begins to lift toward NE Mississippi.  "




TUESDAY: As Ida’s circulation pulls away, lingering showers will be possible north of I-20 along with breezy W/NW winds. Drier air will continue to filter in from the west, allowing for some sun breaks through the afternoon hours, allowing for highs to work their way toward the middle to upper 80s. Skies will continue to clear overnight as the storms moves farther away with lows in the 70s. 
 
EXTENDED FORECAST: Ida will help drag down a front to usher in a fresh, drier air mass through mid-week – pulling down humidity levels and temperatures. Highs Wednesday will still manage near 90 with a few hit and miss storms possible. We’ll turn dry and bright Thursday and Friday with highs in the upper 80s to near 90; lows dipping well into the 60s. High pressure will begin to scoot off toward the east, bringing back an uptick in humidity by the weekend, yielding a chance for a few storms – yet not a washout with highs in the lower 90s, lows near 70. 
 
Patrick Ellis 
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist 
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx

Summery Pattern Ends Saturday; Ida Impacts Likely Late Sunday, Into Next Week

FRIDAY: High pressure to our east and a persistent flow off the Gulf will hold the line to round out the work week. Expect a mix of sun and clouds with a risk for a few afternoon showers and storms, drifting from southeast to northwest. Highs will top out in the lower to middle 90s. Storms will fade after sunset with lows in the middle 70s
.  
WEEKEND PLANNER: Saturday will likely be the last ‘traditional’ summery day ahead of Ida, which could bring rain and wind to central and southwest Mississippi, as early as late Sunday. Expect the southeast flow to continue, keeping chance for a few storms here and there amid partly to variably cloudy skies by the afternoon hours. Highs will top out in the lower to middle 90s. Sunday will be the transition point – as clouds and opportunities for rain and storms begin to increase through the back half of the day as Ida approaches. Expect highs in the 80s to near 90.  
 
IDA AND ITS IMPACTS: Tropical Storm Ida will make its way into the Gulf of Mexico Saturday morning and looks to make a landfall along the northern Gulf Coast between far eastern Texas to the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Sunday – leaving little reactionary time. At any rate, impacts could be felt locally as early as late Sunday and will continue into Monday and parts of Tuesday with periods of rain and wind – even the risk for spin-up tornadoes. Exact impacts are still fuzzy but will come more into focus through the day ahead. Take the time today and tomorrow to prepare your homes for inland tropical impacts – and if you have interests along the immediate Gulf Coast, take those precautions as soon as possible. 
 
EXTENDED FORECAST: Ida will be large part of ‘medium range’ forecast for central and southwest Mississippi feature heavy pockets of rain, wind and potential for severe weather through mid-week as the storms unravels. Gradually, we’ll shift back to a more typical early September pattern with highs in the lower 90s amid a mix of sun and clouds with a few hit and miss storms past Wednesday.  
 

Patrick Ellis
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx