It’s always a nice treat when temperatures and sky conditions combine for a great day and especially when it’s a Monday and even better when it’s a holiday.   All of those things are aligning today in the  Mid-South meaning a great day for all. 

Average high temperatures for this date are in the upper forties with overnight lows near thirty.  However, this will not be a typical January day.  High pressure will provide sunshine and a southwest flow which will combine for highs in the lower sixties today.  It will feel more like a spring day than winter day.  It looks like these warmer than average temperatures will stick around for the next several days but that won’t be the case with the sunshine. 

A couple of low pressure systems and the jet stream will bring rain and possibly a few thunderstorms to the area over the next seven days.  The first low pressure system now sits idle in the Texas panhandle.  The jet stream is coming out of the Pacific into southern California bringing rain to the that area of the country.  As the strongest winds move further inland Tuesday and Wednesday it will nudge the low and a trailing cold front northeast out of Texas.  As a result we will get rain from this system Wednesday and Thursday.  There is also the potential for a few isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms as a result to the accompanying instability along and in advance of the front. 

High pressure will briefly build into the area late Thursday and through the day Friday allowing for a nice end to the week with sunshine and high temperatures back in the lower sixties.  Another low pressure system and cold front will move out of the west coast and through the Rockies arriving in the Mid-South  this coming weekend.  The low will track north of us but the trailing cold front will push through the area.  The exact timing of the front is still too early to tell but based on the latest forecast model runs it looks like it will move through late Saturday and early Sunday.   This would mean rain is more likely Saturday night and Sunday morning allowing most of the weekend daytime hours to be cloudy but dry.  Temperatures will also remain above normal so wintry weather is not a concern with this system.  We’ll have a better handle on the timing of the event as the week progresses.

In the meantime, enjoy this nice break form the cold and the sunshine today.  And then, get ready for a soggy midweek with another shot of rain over the weekend.