Rain is moving through our area as we speak.  There have even been a few rumbles of thunder in North Mississippi but nothing severe.  A cold front is currently moving into the Mid-South.  The late night models suggest that this boundary will clear the area by Dawn with rain ending from West to East.  Click on the link below to view the very latest image from our Storm Track Doppler 5 HD.  I hope you have a grest rest of the night.

 http://www.wmctv.com/Global/link.asp?L=367912

Hopefully, you’ll have the chance to have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

If you are staying the Mid-South for the holiday, you’ll have cooler but mostly sunny weather until around Sunday afternoon.

If you’re heading away from the Mid-South or will be soon, I invite you to use our Travel Forecast page on our website. Get an out of town forecast and find out if flight delays are likely for where you’re going.

Have a safe and great Thanksgiving!!!

Severe weather tends to occur in the primary months of March, April, and May in the Mid-South.  In the last decade or so there has been a secondary severe season which we are currently in.  So far, there has been absolutely no hint of big thunderstorms for the Mid-South and for that our weather team is very thankful.  It’s still a bit early to completely right off severe weather but the more days we move closer to Winter the chances certainly decrease.  We are in an El Nino year, and weather patterns have been a bit unusual this year.  Click on the link below for more information concerning El Nino.

http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/

NOAA: Combined Global Surface Temperature Was Sixth Warmest for October

Global ocean surface temperature fifth warmest

 The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the sixth warmest October on record, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Based on records going back to 1880, the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides.

 NCDC scientists reported that the average land surface temperature for October was also the sixth warmest on record. Additionally, the global ocean surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for October.

Global Temperature Highlights

• The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for October 2009 was the sixth warmest on record, at 1.03 degrees F above the 20^th century average of 57.1 degrees F.
• The global land surface temperature for October 2009 was 1.48 degrees F above the 20^th century average of 48.7 degrees F, and ranked as the sixth warmest October on record.
• The worldwide ocean temperature was the fifth warmest October on record, with an anomaly of 0.90 degree F above the 20^th century average of 60.6 degrees F. Warmer-than-average temperatures dominated much of the world’s land areas. The greatest warm temperature variances during October 2009 were present across Alaska and northern and eastern Russia.
• Cooler-than-average conditions prevailed across Scandinavia, New Zealand, the contiguous U.S., and parts of northern Australia and southern South America.

 Other Highlights

• According to New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand experienced uncharacteristically cool conditions, resulting in the coolest October since 1945. The national average was 51.1 degrees F, 2.5 degrees F below the long-term average.
• Average Arctic sea ice coverage was 2.9 million square miles during October.  This is 19.2 percent less than the 1979-2000 average and the second smallest October extent, behind 2007, since records began in 1979. 
• Antarctic sea ice extent in October was 1.6 percent above the 1979-2000 average, the ninth largest October extent on record.
• Hurricane Rick became the second-most intense Northeast Pacific hurricane on record, behind 1997’s Linda, and the strongest hurricane to form in October since reliable records began. Rick made landfall near Mazatlan, Mexico on October 21^st, resulting in two fatalities.

 Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NOAA’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate. This climate service has a wide range of practical uses, from helping farmers know what and when to plant, to guiding resource managers with critical decisions about water, energy and other vital assets.

A Cold front is slated to move through our area on Monday.  This boundary will bring drastically cooler temperatures to the region.  We hit 75 today, I’m forecasting 65 tomorrow, and 53 for a high Tuesday.  As you can see, the trend is down as the mild weather of late ends.  While it will rain tomorrow, most of the amounts should be less than one inch.  Thunderstorms are not out of the question but are unlikely.  Click on the link below for the position of our latest Cold front.

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Surface/Current.aspx

We’ll have some cloud cover at times today, but the bulk of the daylight hours will feature mostly sunny skies.

Later tonight, clouds will increase and we’ll start keeping a watchful eye for rain arriving from the west.

Following a cold front passage, temps will tumble a bit…closer to 60 than 70 degrees.

Have a great day, and make sure to check out the latest with John on ACTION NEWS 5 @ 5 and after the big football game.

Tropical storm Ida came on shore along the Gulf Coast earlier this week with little more than a whimper.  But today Ida is roaring along the East Coast wreaking havoc.  The now subtropical low pressure system is producing torrential rain, heavy surf, and strong gusting winds from North Carolina through Virginia and points further north.  This system is causing far more damage on the eastern seaboard than it did on the Gulf Coast.  The low pressure center in North Carolina is combining with high pressure in northern Vermont southern Quebec to create a strong pressure gradient along the Mid Atlantic states through New England and into northern Maine.  This is producing gale force winds from the coast further inland.  Heavy surf and strong riptides are also occurring along these same coastal areas.  Flooding is a major problem from Virginia to the Delmarva Peninsula.  The flooding potential will spread further north as the low pressure moves north along the East Coast making for a long end to the week and weekend for that part of the country.

Here is the latest temperature data from NOAA with repsect to National temperatures during the month of October.  I found it extremely interesting.  Take a read for yourself and leave us a comment!

NOAA: U.S. Posts Third Coolest-Highest Precipitation for October on Record

The October 2009 average temperature for the contiguous United States was the third coolest on record for that month according to NOAA’s State of the Climate report issued today. Based on data going back to 1895, the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the suite of climate services provided by NOAA.

The average October temperature of 50.8 degrees F was 4.0 degrees F below the 20^th Century average. Preliminary data also reveals this was the wettest October on record with average precipitation across the contiguous United States reaching 4.15 inches, 2.04 inches above the 1901-2000 average.

U.S. Temperature Highlights

• October 2009 was marked by an active weather pattern that reinforced unseasonably cold air behind a series of cold fronts. Temperatures were below normal in all regions with the exception of the Southeast which had near normal temperatures for the month.

• Oklahoma recorded its coldest October on record while the month ranked in the top five for Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

• Florida was the only state to record an above normal temperature average in October. It was the sixth consecutive month that Florida’s temperature was above normal.

U.S. Precipitation Highlights

• The nationwide average precipitation of 4.15 inches nearly doubled the long-term average. This was the first month since December 2007 that no region in the United States recorded below normal precipitation.

• Iowa, Arkansas, and Louisiana recorded their wettest October while only Florida, Utah, and Arizona had below normal precipitation.

• Moderate-to-exceptional drought covered 12 percent of the contiguous United States, the second-smallest drought footprint of the decade, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Major drought episodes in California and South Texas improved significantly. Drought conditions, however, emerged across much of Arizona.

• About 45 percent of the contiguous United States had moderately-to-extremely wet conditions at the end of October, according to the Palmer Index. This is the largest such footprint since February 2005.

Other Highlights

• Two major snow storms hit the Upper Midwest and the western Plains states. By month’s end, 13.6 percent of the nation was under snow cover, according to NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center.

• Cheyenne, Wyo., tallied 28 inches of snow in October, making this the city’s snowiest October on record. North Platte, Neb., recorded 30.3 inches of snow, making October 2009 the snowiest month ever for the city.

• October saw below-normal fire activity, with a total of 3,207 fires that burned about 158,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.

NCDC’s preliminary reports, which assess the current state of the climate, are released soon after the end of each month. These analyses 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.

Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NCDC’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate. The data have a wide range of practical uses, from helping farmers know what to plant, to guiding resource managers with critical decisions about water, energy and other vital assets.

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.

What was once Hurricane Ida is now just a Tropical storm.  Maximum sustained winds are around 70 mph, but these values are likely coming down as the storm interacts with cooler water and now land.  The center of the system will likely move right over the city of Mobile with flooding and beach erosion the dominant threats.  Check out the National Hurricane Center’s latest path by clicking on the link below.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at1.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents

We started Sunday with another heaping helping of clear skies. Temperatures will quickly warm up into the 70s again, so the weekend will end as beautifully as it began.

Hurricane Ida, a Category One hurricane as of this writing is progressing to the north near the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It’s push into the northern Gulf area will bring clouds this evening.

It’s possible the remnants of Ida could drop some rainfall on parts of northern Mississippi on Monday.

We will keep you posted. Have a great Sunday!