This is one of those cold fronts that you’re going to know has passed through the minute it passes through. It’s been a while since we’ve had a front like this. Temperatures ahead of the front will climb into the 60s today, perhaps even lower 70s. But as soon as that front crosses us we’ll quickly plummet into the 40s. I just checked temps and it looks like the front has just moved into southeastern Missouri, where temps have dropped to the lower 40s. Just ahead of the front in West TN the temps are near 60 (at 8:45a.m.). That front won’t arrive until after dark, so we have one more warm day in store. The winds of change will be picking up today, though! Winds could gust to near 40 mph by this evening.
Saturday is going to be what I call a “Netflix day.” Just don’t even think about going outside (ha). Temps will be in the lower 40s with cold rain showers on northerly breezes. By Saturday night temps will drop to the lower 30s and any left over moisture will change to snow flurries. We could see those flurries linger into Sunday morning. Sunday will be partly cloudy with highs in the 40s. A hard freeze is expected Sunday night. Next week we go back into a warming trend, with highs reaching back into the 50s under partly cloudy skies through at least Tuesday. The next storm system arrives midweek.
As for the tropics, there is now a 60% chance that we’ll see Tropical Storm Philippe form in the southern Gulf today or tomorrow. The system would then bring some rain and wind to southern Florida as it quickly moves northeast ahead of our strong cold front. An Air Force Reconnaissance plane is scheduled to investigate he system this afternoon. How would you like to take a ride on one of those planes!?
The big headline today in the weather is this cold front. Freeze watches and warning cover a huge portion of the country. The dark blue colors are freeze warnings, the light blue colors are freeze watches. It’s right on our door step, folks!
So, remember that line I typed earlier about not going outside tomorrow because of the terrible weather. Guess who has a half marathon in the morning? In my defense, I signed up for this weeks ago! (ha) Oh well, send positive vibes my way as I’m freezing to death in pouring rain before it’s even daylight outside on a Saturday morning……It’ll all about the medal, it’s all about the medal…repeat …OH, and we get a really nice hooded long-sleeve t-shirt!
I will say one last thing about the weather forecast that you may hear more about in the news. Remember the tropical system that I mentioned in the Gulf? And you know we have this strong cold front coming through. Well, the front and the tropical system are going to combine over the Northeast late this weekend and create one HECK of a storm! There could be tons of coastal flooding, widespread power outages, and life-threatening flooding throughout the Northeast. It may even produce very heavy snows for the mountains. That will be something very interesting to watch!
You all have a great weekend and do as I say, not as I do….stay inside Saturday!