This is one of the most interesting articles I have read in awhile.

Click on the link below…It’s fascinating

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/29may_noaaprediction.htm

Plenty of sunshine will beam down across the Mid-South on our Saturday. It will be warm, as temperatures soar into the upper 80s but with comfortable humidity. Winds will flow out of the West around 8 mph. Tonight should feature clear skies as lows dip back into the middle and upper 60s.

Mostly sunny skies hang on for our Sunday. It will be a bit warmer, as temperatures rise into the upper 80s to around 90. Humidity should remain rather low.

Look for 90 degrees for the first time of the season Monday. Lows will be very mild, with values only around 70. Rain will likely hold off.

Clouds may thicken up Wednesday and Thursday. Isolated showers are possible Wednesday and Thursday with moisture levels increasing as a weak disturbance heads this way.

I hope you have a great Saturday.

- NWA Meteorologist John Bryant

A cold front is expected to affect the Mid-South today.   While the morning drive should be dry, we could be looking at afternoon showers & thundershowers.

The Storm Prediction Center issued a SLIGHT risk for severe weather for most of the area (northeastern Mississippi excluded).

In the meantime we’ll have a high temperature in the mid 80s.  Rain chances linger into the overnight hours with just a slim chance of rain on Thursday.

Then conditions get drier and cooler just ahead of the weekend.  Speaking of the weekend, the forecast for Saturday & Sunday doesn’t look too shabby, either!

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT…CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
921 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2009

..TIME…   …EVENT…      …CITY LOCATION…     …LAT.LON…
..DATE…   ….MAG….      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. …SOURCE….
            ..REMARKS..

0436 PM     FLASH FLOOD      JONESBORO               35.82N 90.69W
05/24/2009                   CRAIGHEAD          AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            STREET FLOODING WIDESPREAD ACROSS CITY. NO HOMES
            IMPACTED.

0510 PM     FLASH FLOOD      LAKE CITY               35.82N 90.45W
05/24/2009                   CRAIGHEAD          AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 63 FLOODING. NO HOMES
            IMPACTED AT THIS TIME.

0514 PM     TORNADO          1 S HELOISE             36.04N 89.67W
05/24/2009                   DYER               TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TORNADO ALONG HWY 104 AND GREAT RIVER ROAD MOVING
            NORTHWEST ALONG OPEN FARM LAND. NO DAMAGE REPORTED.

0525 PM     TORNADO          7 S HELOISE             35.95N 89.67W
05/24/2009                   DYER               TN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TORNADO SPOTTED ON FARM LAND AROUND BRADLEY ROAD AND
            OBION RIVER BRIDGE. NO DAMAGE REPORTED.

0535 PM     TORNADO          1 SE STEELE             36.07N 89.83W
05/24/2009                   PEMISCOT           MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SIGHTING OF TORNADO AT COTTONWOOD POINT ALONG THE
            MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN PEMISCOTT COUNTY. NO DAMAGE REPORTED
            AS MOST OF THIS AREA IS OPEN FARMLAND.

0625 PM     TORNADO          7 S HELOISE             35.95N 89.67W
05/24/2009                   DYER               TN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TORNADO NEAR BRADLEY ROAD AND OBION RIVER NEAR COMMUNITY
            OF CHIC

0657 PM     FLASH FLOOD      3 N BROOKLAND           35.94N 90.58W
05/24/2009                   CRAIGHEAD          AR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            FLOODING ALONG COUNTY ROAD 792. SEVERAL OTHER ROADS
            FLOODED BETWEEN JONESBORO AND BROOKLAND

0710 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     6 SE WALDENBURG         35.50N 90.86W
05/24/2009                   POINSETT           AR   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            LARGE FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
            WALDENBURG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 14

0750 PM     FLASH FLOOD      3 NW BROOKLAND          35.93N 90.62W
05/24/2009                   CRAIGHEAD          AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            *** 1 FATAL *** ON HIGHWAY 785 APPROX 1 MILE SOUTH OF
            GREENE COUNTY LINE AN SUV FLIPPED OVER IN DEEP WATER AT
            710 PM CDT. THREE PEOPLE IN VEHICLE. ONE CONFIRMED DEAD
            REPORTED AS OF THIS TIME 750 PM CDT.

0750 PM     FLASH FLOOD      N BROOKLAND             35.90N 90.58W
05/24/2009                   CRAIGHEAD          AR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            COUNTY ROADS 785 AND 791 IN NORTHERN CRAIGHEAD COUNTY ARE
            BOTH COVERED WITH WATER IMPAIRING ALL TRAVEL.

0807 PM     TORNADO          FRIENDSHIP              35.91N 89.24W
05/24/2009                   CROCKETT           TN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TORNADO REPORTED ON GROUND ON PARK ROAD EXTENDED. A BARN
            AND SEVERAL TREES WERE DESTROYED

…chances for for rain, that is.

We’re tracking a low in the Gulf of Mexico, as its associated circulation is ushering in clouds and rain from the south.

It looks like multiple rain chances over the weekend, including the possibility of rainfall during the Sunset Symphony.  It’s a shame, because Three Dog Night may have to deal with it raining cats & dogs.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that all works out & we’ll keep you updated at wmctv.com .

NOAA: Fifth Warmest April for Globe

The combined average global land and ocean surface temperatures for April 2009 ranked fifth warmest since worldwide records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

The analyses in NCDC’s global reports are based on preliminary data, which are subject to revision. Additional quality control is applied to the data when late reports are received several weeks after the end of the month and as increased scientific methods improve NCDC’s processing algorithms.

Temperature Highlights

• April’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 1.06 degree F above the 20^th century average of 56.7 degrees F. The most significant warmth occurred in northern and northeastern Asia, Europe, and much of the planet’s southern oceans.
• The global combined land and ocean surface temperature of 55.8 degrees F is tied with 2003 for the sixth-warmest January-through-April period on record. This value is 0.97 degree F above the 20^th century average.
• The global land surface temperature for April was 1.80 degrees F degrees above the 20th century average of 46.5 degrees F degrees.
• April 2009 was the 33^rd consecutive April with an average global land and ocean surface temperature above the 20^th century average.

Global Highlights

• Arctic sea ice coverage of 5.6 million square miles was the tenth-lowest April extent since satellite records began in 1979, according to NOAA’s National Snow and Ice Data Center.  This value is 2.8 percent below the 1979-2000 average. In contrast, the April Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent of 3.2 million square miles was 13.5 percent above the 1979-2000 average.  April is early in the melt season for Arctic sea ice, and early in the growth season for Antarctic sea ice.

• Based on NOAA satellite observations, April snow cover extent was below the 1967-2009 average for the Northern Hemisphere. This marked the hemisphere’s sixth consecutive April with below-average snow cover extent. Warmer-than-normal conditions over Eurasia contributed to that region’s fourth-smallest April snow cover extent during the period. North American snow cover extent was slightly above average during the month.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov

Temperatures in the Mid-South are cool tonight.  Canadian High pressure has settled North of our area and is ushering in unseasonably below normal temperatures.  No, this is not the Winter like Arctic Express but it is nonetheless a very impressive late Spring cold front.  And we need to enjoy, because you know what’s coming soon, the heat and humidity.  Our weather should gradually warm up beginning Tuesday afternoon.  Plenty of sunshine is forecast this week. Enjoy!

Numerous weather warnings were active this afternoon across the Mid-South.  The Storm Prediction Center, as Tim noted below, did not have the region under a slight risk but that doesn’t always mean there can’t be weather warnings.  There were several hail reports in North Mississippi but little damage as a result.  The Plantersville area, which I have roots from, did report some tree damage from a Thunderstorm wind gust.  I talked to a few relatives and they said things were fine at their place thankfully. A few reports came in from the Verona and Shannon area. There were also many flash flood warnings and advisories. As of this post, the only report we have so far is water covering a roadway between Verona and Plantersville.  

The good news, our weather looks extremely quiet this upcoming week.  Let’s all enjoy the dry weather for a change.

Have a great evening.

Well, sort of.

Instead of a soggy Sunday, we’re looking at rainfall in the Mid-South on a Saturday.

As of now it looks like daytime showers could be a disruption for outdoor activities.

As of this writing the Storm Prediction Center does not designate the region as having a significant severe weather threat.

Severe Risk for Saturday

Another stalled front lingers south of the Action News 5 coverage area today.  Scattered rain and thunderstorms will ride along this frontal boundary.  As a result the focus for rain will be confined to the southern counties of the coverage area.  Areas along and north of I-40 should be dry for much of the day.  The sky will be mostly cloudy on average but some sunshine is expected as breaks in the clouds occur.  High temperatures today will be near seventy degrees. 

The front will lift north during the day Tuesday bringing more widespread thundershowers to the Mid-South especially during the afternoon hours.  High pressure will build into the area Wednesday making for what looks to be the best day of the week with a partly cloudy sky and highs in the low to mid eighties.  A southerly flow will bring an increase in cloud cover Thursday and Friday along with a slight chance for isolated afternoon thundershowers and highs in the mid eighties.  Another front will approach the area Saturday again bringing scattered rain and thunderstorms to the Mid-South.  Sunshine should return Sunday along with highs near eighty.