Weather Headlines
Unsettled weather continues
Frost and light freeze conditions expected by the end of the week
Main threats
Today/Tonight: Any storm that develops this evening and overnight could be strong to severe. Large hail and damaging straight-line winds would be the main threats. Much of the plateau is currently in the MARGINAL RISK for severe storms.
Wednesday Night: Scattered frost is possible if winds subside.
Friday & Saturday Nights: Frost and/or light freeze conditions are likely.
Baldwin’s Severe Wx Concern
Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast
Daily Forecast
Today: Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and storms in the evening. Some of those storms could be strong to severe. More rain and storms likely later into the night. Again, some of those storms could be strong/severe, as well.
Tuesday: Rain and storms, especially in the morning. Some of those storms could be severe.
Wednesday: Clouds and sun, with only a slight chance for a morning shower.
Thursday: A pleasant day! Get outside!
Friday: More rain, perhaps a rumble of thunder. Skies clear by night and temps plummet. Frost likely by Saturday morning.
Saturday: A pleasant but unseasonably cool day. Frost very likely overnight.
Sunday: Clouds may try to start making a comeback. Continued cool.
Almanac
Yesterday’s National High and Low Temperature
High: 112 at Rio Grande Village, Texas
Low: 19 at Frenchglen, Oregon
Difference of: 93 degrees
Wx Hazards Across the Nation
Strong to severe storms will be found across the southern plains and Lower Mississippi River Valley today. All modes of severe weather are possible. Light snows can be found across parts of New England, the Pacific Northwest, and for the western portions of the northern plains.
Records
On this day in 1976 the plateau woke up to temps in the mid to upper 20s. Crossville set a new record low for May at 27 degrees.
Weather Trivia
Q: Which of the following are not a nickname for tornadoes? (this is a little tricky!)
a. cyclone b. twister c. windhoos d. willy willy
(Answer at the bottom of the blog!)
NASA Knowledge
Destined to become the first aircraft to attempt powered flight on another planet, NASA’s Mars Helicopter officially has received a new name: Ingenuity.
Vaneeza Rupani, a junior at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, came up with the name and the motivation behind it during NASA’s “Name the Rover” essay contest.
“The ingenuity and brilliance of people working hard to overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration,” Rupani wrote in her contest submission. “Ingenuity is what allows people to accomplish amazing things, and it allows us to expand our horizons to the edges of the universe.”
Rupani’s essay was one of 28,000 submitted!
Long Range Outlook
The period for May 9 through the 13th features very below average temperatures for our area and below normal rainfall. This is the result of a unseasonably low dipping of the jet stream. There’s plenty more frost to come for us!
Temperature
Precipitation
Baldwin’s View-of-the-Day
I found this on Twitter from Chris Jackon. He states, “Another May 1st, 2018 gem. Mid-afternoon LP (low precipitation) Supercell outside of Stafford, KS. I left this storm for the real action further north but had to get a quick timelapse of it and glad I did. Epic motion. (@ChrisJacksonSC)
Answer to Trivia Question
A: (d) Tornadoes are referred to as cyclones or twisters throughout the US. In the Netherlands, they are windhoos, which means “wind hose”. A willy willy is a tropical cyclone or harmless whirlwind in Australia.