Mar 25, 2024

Today has been for the most part quiet and breezy, however rain and storms are starting to approach and move into the region surrounding Starkville, Mississippi quickly. The rain and storms are associated with a low pressure system that is approaching the area. This system will move through during the evening/night hours into the early morning hours tomorrow, bringing rain and storms with some being severe. Rain and storms will clear out by tomorrow afternoon, making way for sunny and clear conditions that will persist through the weekend and into next week. A STORMY START TO THE WEEK TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW AFTERNOON While temperatures have been sitting in the low to mid-60s throughout the day, gusty winds out of the southeast have helped to increase moisture ahead of the cold front that is expected to move through. As a result, a wind advisory is in effect. The characteristics of the environment are typical for a common early spring, as there is high shear and low CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) across the region. The main concern for Starkville, Mississippi with these storms is damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, sustained winds of 20+mph, and minor flooding. The main line of storms is expected to roll through between 9 PM and 1 AM, however rain before and after this line is likely. Flooding is only expected to occur in low lying areas and areas with poor drainage, and possibly near lakes and rivers around the area. Water levels in these bodies of water have receded since the last rainfall. It is suspected that the main severe impacts will stay just to the west of Starkville, with Starkville being on the fringe of the boundary between the enhanced and slight risk areas. Instead, the Severe Prediction Center elected to keep Starkville under a slight risk. However an isolated severe storm in or around Starkville cannot be ruled out. The main severe weather threat and the heaviest of the rain will end with the passage of the cold front making way for a temporary cool-off and dry weather throughout the area. CLEAR CONDITIONS STARTING TUESDAY NIGHT AND PERSISTING THROUGH THIS WEEKEND High pressure will begin to build behind the...

Mar 21, 2024

Friday morning, we will see some rain return to northeast Mississippi in the form of showers and possibly some more moderate rainfall. This is expected to move out by the evening. The rain totals will be greater with westward extent, with our area receiving anywhere from 0.25”-0.5” throughout the day. Temperatures to close the workweek will be in the lower 60s across the region, dropping only into the lower 50s at night, as the cloud cover will mediate the temperatures.  WEEKEND OUTLOOK This weekend will see temperatures return into the middle 60s on Saturday as we dry out from Friday’s rain, and possibly up to 70 in some areas on Sunday. With clear, sunny skies there should not be any weather-related dampers to any daytime activities for the first full weekend of spring. That said, winds may be gusty at times, with winds generally at 10-15 mph and gusts possibly above 20 mph, especially on Saturday. Low temperatures for Saturday will be in the upper 30s and Sunday’s lows will be much warmer in the middle 50s. The biggest caveat to outdoor activities this weekend will be the high pollen counts and possible smoke from controlled burns, which may cause problems for anyone with allergies or breathing issues.  NEXT WEEK  We will start out the workweek with an eye on the sky, as we have been placed in a slight risk (2/5) for severe weather on Monday. A low-pressure system will move into our region bringing chances for showers and storms, some with the potential to be severe. The main questions around this system revolve around how much warm, moist air can make it to the region. This is contributing to some uncertainty around the impacts of this system but keep a close eye for updates as details become clearer in the coming days. For now, rainfall and some thunderstorms appear very likely across our region Monday afternoon and evening as high temperatures on Monday approach 70 degrees.  Tuesday some residual showers and storms will be possible. With part of the day likely being cloudy, temperatures with top out at 71 degrees and bottom out at 47 degrees.  Wednesday, things will quiet down for...

Mar 18, 2024

In the wake of a potent cold front that moved through the region on Sunday, temperatures are sitting well below average for mid-March. In fact, they should be around 67° but won’t make it past the mid-50s to start the week off. It is not uncommon to experience some colder temperatures in March, however, as today (Monday) marks the final day of astronomical winter. TODAY AND TONIGHT The remainder of the day will host an occasionally breezy north wind and scattered high clouds. Both the wind and clouds will taper off into the evening and overnight hours, clearing the way for temperatures to bottom out below freezing by daybreak Tuesday. Some fog is expected to form due to a cold and dry airmass over a (relatively) warmer and moist ground, along with light winds. Because the growing season has begun, the National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for the threat of crops becoming damaged. As such, take any precautions like covering your plants to protect them. WARMING THROUGH THE WORKWEEK After a cold start to your Tuesday, a high-pressure ridge across the southern Great Plains will make for a calm and pleasant midweek. Tuesday will be sunny and dry with highs topping out around 60° so keep the jacket handy. You won’t need the extra layers by Wednesday afternoon, however, as we’ll jump from the upper 30s to low 70s throughout the day. Winds will be light out of the west on both days. On Thursday, winds will shift into a southeasterly flow, allowing for slowly increasing humidity, along with mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures will closely resemble Wednesday’s highs. A shortwave trough (which simply means a small, quick-moving disturbance) will slide through the Deep South overnight Thursday and into the day on Friday. This will usher in the chance for at least scattered showers and perhaps a clap of thunder. A washout or any severe weather is not expected with this system. Friday will be slightly cooler sitting in the mid-60s, and then we add a couple of degrees to both Saturday and Sunday, which will make for a gorgeous weekend under mostly sunny skies. WET END TO MARCH? Looking ahead, indications are...

Mar 4, 2024

After a brief cooldown at the end of last week, spring-like weather has returned to Northeast Mississippi. With highs in the 70’s (above average for this time of year) and rain scattered throughout the workweek, this week’s weather will feel much more like early spring than late winter. That being said, while astronomical winter still has about two more weeks left, meteorological spring began on Friday. “What’s the difference?”, you may ask, the date of astronomical spring is determined by the earth’s position in its orbit around the sun. The date of the spring equinox can change annually depending on when the sun is directly over the equator. Meteorological spring, on the other hand, is marked by the transition from cooler temperatures to warmer temperatures and is always from March 1 through May 31. FORECAST FOR THE WORK WEEK Tonight into Tuesday morning, rain chances will increase steadily as a broad area of rain out front of a cold front in the Great Plains moves into our area. The cold front itself will not pass through Northeast Mississippi until Wednesday, but the rain will impact us much earlier. The highest rain chances for Tuesday look to be between 5 AM and 3 PM, but some showers could hang around overnight into early Wednesday morning. Tuesday’s high is expected to be around 71 with a low of 57. Conditions look much clearer for Wednesday as higher pressure moves into the areafollowing the frontal passage. The front will not have much of an impact on our temperatures aswe are expected to hit our warmest high temperature of the week, near 76⁰, with a low around52⁰. We should see mostly sunny skies and calm to light winds on Wednesday.The dry weather should remain in place for most of Thursday as well with a slight chancefor some showers in the afternoon. Thursday’s high should be in the mid 70’s with a low in theupper 50’s. The dry weather should remain in place for most of Thursday with a slight chance for some showers in the afternoon. Thursday’s high should be in the mid 70’s with a low in the upper 50’s. The chance for rain will increase drastically overnight...

Feb 8, 2024

Hope everyone is having a great week! The weather sure has been wonderful these past few days with sunshine and warm temperatures well into the 60s. As of Thursday afternoon, satellite and radar shows high clouds building into northeast Mississippi ahead of our next storm system. It’s also a bit breezy as winds are now gusting up to 20 mph from the south which will aid in transporting plenty of moisture our way. Tonight, we’ll remain dry with temperatures remaining warm in the mid-upper 50s with a few scattered rain showers developing. These will continue into our Friday and become more frequent throughout the late morning and early afternoon. Amidst the rain and clouds, temperatures will still manage to near the 70° mark on Friday with noticeably more muggy conditions in place as well.  The weekend ahead looks nasty in terms of any outdoors plans. As a stationary front stalls to our north, several waves of energy will ride along it, each bringing another chance for rain between Friday and Monday. However, it will not be raining the entire time and there are no threats for any flooding. The most notable and perhaps consistent period of rain looks to arrive on Saturday afternoon, lasting into Sunday morning as heavier rain develops to our southwest and rides along that front into northeast Mississippi. Most of Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon appear to be dry with only a few scattered rain showers passing through. The GFS Future-cast model below shows these repeated rounds of showers and periodic steady rain. The good news is temperatures will continue to remain above average in the upper 60s which is much better than a cold rain! Moving into our next work week, the stationary front bringing us the weekend rain will eventually pass through as a cold front late Sunday night and early Monday, providing another chance for widespread rain and likely tallying up our total weekend rainfall to 1-2”. This front will also swing in some cooler temperatures with highs back in the upper 50s and lows in the lower 30s next Monday through Wednesday. Although this may seem chilly, we will be back near our average and exactly...