The energy associated with our late week storm is currently progressing into the plains. Ahead of it, the National Weather Service has placed areas to our north and west under winter weather alerts. At the same time, the Storm Prediction Center has placed portions of NE. Texas, SE. Oklahoma, and extreme SW. Arkansas under a Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) for severe weather.
Smack-dab in the middle! And instead of having cold air in place ahead of the incoming low, we have temperatures in the 40s. This means that we will be getting in on a lot more rainfall with this event than wintry precipitation.
For the most part, the morning hours will remain dry under an overcast sky. Before you step out the door, I would make sure to have the rain gear in hand as rain chances are to ramp up towards mid-day. By the afternoon, a surge of moisture will allow precipitation to overspread the region, with chances remaining steady into the early portions of tonight. All in all, accumulations should wind up in the .25" to .75" range. Along with this afternoon's rainfall does come a decent breeze out of the south, which could gust up to 30 mph at times. This will allow temperatures to climb into a similar territory to Wednesday, with most peaking in the upper 40s.
.png)
Temperatures Plummet:
Overnight into St. Patrick's Day, forecast models show a strong cold front sweeping through. Behind it, winds quickly turn to the northwest, allowing a very cold air-mass to filter into the Great Lakes. As a result, temperatures will plummet into the upper 20s by the time we wake up Friday morning.
With that being said, we will likely see a transition to a wintry mix, then to light snow before chances come to a close prior to sunrise. Skies will then remain mostly cloudy for the rest of Friday morning, with clearing taking place during the afternoon. Despite the afternoon sunshine, the rather cold and gusty northwesterly wind that will be in place will limit highs to the mid to possibly upper 30s.
The coldest air arrives Saturday, placing high temperatures almost 20-degrees below mid-March standards. Wind chills, thanks to a lingering but strong northwesterly wind, will be restricted to the low teens. So, it's safe to say if you plan to be out and about Saturday, dress in extra layers to keep yourself warm and insulated.
By Sunday, our next area of high pressure will begin to shift eastward, allowing winds to tilt more to the south and southwest. This will begin a warming trend that lingers into the first half of next week. Sunday features highs in the upper 30s under partly cloudy skies. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday also remain dry under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures climbing close to 50-degrees. Of course, mother nature won't introduce us to our next storm system until late in the week.
No comments:
Post a Comment