Expect patchy fog to develop overnight along the Gulf Coast; more rain on the way
MOBILE, Alabama — Expect fog to build late tonight and into Thursday before burning off just before sunrise as moist conditions continue along the Gulf Coast. However, this fog shouldn't be as dense as it was on Tuesday night.
MOBILE, Alabama — Expect fog to build late tonight and into Thursday before burning off just before sunrise as moist conditions continue along the Gulf Coast. However, this fog shouldn’t be as dense as it was on Tuesday night.
A cold front will begin to advance toward the area late Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening in response to the upper low over the Baja. Expect the front to move into northwest Mississippi by 6 p.m. Thursday and approach the Gulf Coast around 6 a.m. Friday.
Severe showers, damaging winds and tornadoes are possible as the front moves across the forecast area late Thursday and into Friday.
Expect lows tonight in the lower 60s along the coast and upper 50s for inland areas. Highs Thursday should be in the mid 70s for most of the forecast area.
Popular pier destroyed by Katrina awaits final inspection
OCEAN SPRINGS — Jackson County supervisors plan to open the Ocean Springs Fishing Pier this week, as soon as the final inspection is complete.
The popular pier, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, was originally a piece of the old U.S. 90 bridge over Back Bay.
Rebuilt with $2 million from FEMA, it has four covered pavilions, cement pilings [...]
Small rain chances, with more rain on the way (Tomorrow’s forecast by WKRG’s Alan Sealls)
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, 20 to 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lows in the mid-50s to low 60s.
View full sizePress-Register weather map for Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012.Today’s high was 71. The record for Feb. 21 is 79, recorded in 2005.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, 20 to 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lows in the mid-50s to low 60s.
Tomorrow’s weather column by WKRG’s Alan Sealls:
Damp clouds
There’s nothing too dramatic in the weather but we do have more clouds today and a small rain chance. This afternoon expect only a 20% chance of showers, especially nearer to the coast. Most of us won’t get wet. Highs will reach the lower 70s. Daytime temperatures will continue in that range for the next two days. The next couple of nights have us in the upper 50s. That’s ten degrees above typical but we’re so used to it this season that it won’t seem out of place.
Rain chances increase late tomorrow to 40%. The next weather system heading in Tomorrow night will shake up the atmosphere enough to bring rain and thunderstorms into Friday. Heavier rain will likely be north of our area but as the whole thing slides south we’ll get at least a 50% rain chance Friday.
The weekend offers a positive change if you don’t want rain. Highs Saturday and Sunday settle in the middle 60s. Lows for the weekend dip into the lower 40s. Both of those are typical for late February. Weekend weather is looking calm and bright although clouds may increase on Sunday.
Look for seasonable temperatures and partly cloudy skies on Gulf Coast for Fat Tuesday
MOBILE, Alabama — A vigorous system over the central plains will pass through the northeast on Tuesday and bring a weak trailing front into the southeast.
MOBILE, Alabama – A vigorous system over the central plains will pass through the northeast on Tuesday and bring a weak trailing front into the southeast.
Look for clouds increasing overnight and into Tuesday, but this system is too weak to support measurable precipitation so there’s no need to break out the umbrella for Fat Tuesday.
An upper low over the Baja area should advance across northern Mexico through Thursday which should bring more rain to the area.
Daytime highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will be mild and in the low 70s and into the mid 70s on Thursday. Overnight lows will be near seasonable tonight, then warm on Tuesday.
Parts of South get several inches of snow (photos, video)
The storm brought as much as 9 inches of snow to some areas on Sunday as it powered its way from Kentucky and Tennessee to West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.
RICHMOND, Virginia — A winter storm that dumped several inches of snow across parts of the South, causing power outages, slippery roads and numerous accidents during the Presidents Day holiday weekend, moved out to sea Monday.
Crews were working to restore power to tens of thousands of households that lost electricity as a result of the storm.
The storm brought as much as 9 inches of snow to some areas on Sunday as it powered its way from Kentucky and Tennessee to West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The storm system was expected to push off the coast early Monday, with the nation’s capital getting only snow flurries, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm hit toward the end of what has been an otherwise mild winter in the region.
In northern Tennessee, about 20 vehicles were involved in crashes along a three-mile stretch of Interstate 75 near the Kentucky border on Sunday afternoon.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Stacy Heatherly said the crashes were reported shortly before 2 p.m. in near “white-out” conditions caused by heavy snowfall and fog. Police said a youth was seriously injured. All lanes of Interstate 75 had reopened by early evening.
Dozens of wrecks were also reported in North Carolina as snow, sleet and rain fell with little accumulation, according to The Winston-Salem Journal.
In Virginia, the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 were shut down following a two-vehicle crash that critically injured one man, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The accident was reported at about 6:20 p.m. on I-95 near the interchange with Interstate 295 in Prince George County. The male driver of one vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries, and an adult male passenger in the same vehicle also was hospitalized.
Snow began sticking in the Richmond area after dark, and Virginia State Police had responded to about 700 crashes as of 10 p.m.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that only an inch or two of snow had fallen north of Interstate 85 in North Carolina, though more was expected close to the Virginia line.
The weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Raleigh-Durham area until 9 a.m. Monday. Officials were advising motorists to use caution when driving in the morning, as some return to work and others travel on Presidents Day.
Wet snow also downed power lines. Appalachian Power was reporting that 52,000 customers were without power Sunday night in central and southern Virginia, as well as in West Virginia. Dominion Energy was reporting another 16,000 outages, mostly in the Richmond, Va., area and Shenandoah Valley. Kentucky Power said 23,000 households were without power Sunday night.
Nick Fillo, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Blacksburg, Va., office, said 5 to 8 inches of snow fell in the Blue Ridge Mountains, while about 3 to 6 inches fell on that state’s Piedmont region.
“This was our first real winter storm,” Fillo said.
The weather service said late Sunday that the snowfall was “diminishing in both intensity and coverage” and would end Monday morning.
Fillo said a low-pressure system would be coming out of the Rockies this week, bringing snow to the Great Lakes area but not significantly affecting the South.
Warming trend on the way (Tomorrow’s forecast by WKRG’s Jonathan Owens)
Monday: Sunny. Highs in the low to mid-60s. Lows in the upper 40s to low 50s. Chance of rain 10 percent or less.
View full sizePress-Register weather map for Monday, Feb. 20, 2012.
Today’s high was 60. The record for Feb. 19 is 80, recorded in 2011.
Monday: Sunny. Highs in the low to mid-60s. Lows in the upper 40s to low 50s. Chance of rain 10 percent or less.
Tomorrow’s weather column by WKRG’s Jonathan Owens:
After a clearing and cold night with lows in the upper 30s, we’ll enjoy a warming trend this week. Highs will be near 70 degrees again in almost no time. Ample sunshine is on tap for Monday here on the Gulf Coast, with highs hitting the 60 degree mark.
Mardi Gras will be cloudier but warmer. Highs will hit the 70 degree mark on Fat Tuesday. There is a slight chance for a passing shower, so take along some rain gear to the parades just in case. The chance of rain climbs to 60% for Wednesday as another storm system approaches the region.
Temperatures stay warm for most of the week, but some chilly mornings will be in store for us by the weekend as we get an impulse of cool air moving through the region. Morning lows in the upper 30s to low 40s will be common by Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Skies to clear for Joe Cain (Tomorrow’s forecast by WKRG’s Jonathan Owens)
Sunday: Partly cloudy and windy. Highs in the mid-60s. Lows in the low 40s. Chance of rain 10 percent.
View full sizePress-Register weather map for Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012.
Today’s high was 68. The record for Feb. 18 is 80, recorded in 2000.
The National Weather Service recorded 2.90 inches of rainfall at Mobile Regional Airport today, ending 5 p.m.
Sunday: Partly cloudy and windy. Highs in the mid-60s. Lows in the low 40s. Chance of rain 10 percent.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast by WKRG’s Jonathan Owens:
After an ugly Saturday, Sunday is looking somewhat better for the Gulf Coast. Clouds should be decreasing, but winds will be increasing throughout the day. We expect gusty northwest winds to be blowing around 15-25 miles per hour most of the day.
Temperatures will remain in the upper 50s to low 60s most of the afternoon.
As winds die down some tonight, temperatures will fall and we’re expecting lows to be in the upper 30s by Monday morning. So you’ll need a jacket or sweater as you head out early Monday.
After a few days of quiet weather, another storm system will be approaching around the middle of the week. It will bring us a good chance of showers. For Mardi Gras, there’s a 20% chance of rain, but that chance increases to 40% and could go higher for Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to rebound with highs in around 70 degrees much of next week.
Storm damage reported as severe weather moves through area; teen possibly struck by lightning
As severe weather moves through the area, there are reports of damage coming in and expectations of more flooding.
Vehicles tread lightly through water on Pascagoula Street in Pascagoula on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 18, 2012. (The Mississippi Press/Cherie Ward)PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — As severe weather moves through the area today, there are reports of damage coming in.
The National Weather Service in Mobile reported minor flooding in south central George County and that the Chickasawhay and Leaf rivers in Greene County were expected to flood in the coming days.
The Gulf Coast counties got at least 4 inches of rain, according to the weather service.
An unidentified juvenile might have been struck by lightning earlier today, Harrison County officials said.
Harrison County Fire Marshal Pat Sullivan said ambulance crews treated the teenager, who refused to be taken to the hospital.
The teen told officials at the scene he was in a metal shed on Vidalia Road in Pass Christian when it was hit by lightning about 2:30 p.m.
He was alert when crews checked him, but said the strike had caused him to lose consciousness for a few minutes, Sullivan said.
Vehicles tread lightly through water on Pascagoula Street in Pascagoula on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 18, 2012. (The Mississippi Press/Cherie Ward)Barton Baptist Church in Lucedale on Miss. 63 had minor roof damage from the storm, that according to the building manager Paul Slater. Slater says the wind lifted up a five foot section of the roof and left it dangling.
The George County Sheriff’s Department has not received reports of any other structure damage so far.
Sheriff Mike Byrd said road flooding was about all Jackson County experienced from the storm.
He said there was a report of a tornado near Interstate 10 at the Miss. 57 exit, but it was unfounded.
Heavy rainfall, possibly severe storms forecast for Mississippi, Alabama coasts
Heavy rainfall and possibly severe storms are in the forecast for the Mississippi and Alabama coasts today, forcing a restructuring of weekend Mardi Gras plans.
View full sizeThis satellite image from the National Weather Service Saturday morning, Feb. 18, 2012, shows a weather system expected to bring heavy rainfall and the threat of severe storms to the Mississippi and Alabama coasts.
MOBILE, Alabama — Heavy rainfall and possibly severe storms are in the forecast for the Mississippi and Alabama coasts today, forcing a restructuring of weekend Mardi Gras plans.
On tap for today is a 100 percent chance of heavy rain, with a 100 percent chance of precipitation tonight including the threat of severe thunderstorms.
A National Weather Service severe weather outlook for today and tonight indicates a deepening surface low over the western Gulf was to move into central Alabama by early this morning. This forecast track of the low center continues to result in a risk of severe weather across the region. Instability will likely remain offshore this afternoon as the warm front struggles to move inland due to heavy rainfall expected north of the boundary.
This will greatly limit the severe weather threat through the afternoon, the advisory states, but the severe weather threat will increase early this evening across southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama as the warm front begins to move further north and a squall line develops ahead of the surface low and its cold front.
The threat will push further east into the northwest Florida panhandle and south central Alabama by late evening into the early morning hours, with the threat ending by 3 am Sunday, the advisory states.
The primary threat with the squall line will be damaging wind gusts, although an isolated tornado will also be possible. The greatest severe weather risk will be roughly along and south and east of a Wiggins, Mississippi to Atmore, Alabama to Greeneville, Alabama line.
The weather service says this storm system is expected to produce rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches across the north central Gulf Coast, with locally higher totals possible especially between the Interstate 10 and Highway 84 Corridors.
The advisory also states that, given the heavy rain experienced Wednesday night, this additional heavy rain will increase the likelihood of localized flooding, especially in urban and low-lying areas. As a result a flood watch has been issued for the entire forecast area from this morning through early Sunday morning.
Windy conditions will develop along the coast tonight as the warm front moves inland, the advisory states. A wind advisory is in effect from late this afternoon through tonight.
High winds and heavy downpours expected (Tomorrow’s forecast by WKRG’s Alan Sealls)
Saturday: High winds with heavy rain. Highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lows in the 50s. Chance of rain 80 percent or greater, decreasing to near 60 percent Saturday night.
View full sizePress-Register weather map for Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012.
Today’s high was 73. The record for Feb. 17 is 79, recorded in 1967.
Saturday: High winds with heavy rain. Highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lows in the 50s. Chance of rain 80 percent or greater, decreasing to near 60 percent Saturday night.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast by WKRG’s Alan Sealls:
The good, the bad, and the stormy
The good in the forecast is tomorrow and Monday will be excellent days for parades and outdoor plans. Brighter skies are not far away. The good is also that daytime temperatures will be seasonable through Fat Tuesday. A shower is possible Tuesday but it’s just a small chance. Tuesday doesn’t look like a washout.
The bad in the forecast is that today is very wet and many folks have planned for months and invested a lot of money in today’s parades. If it were only rain that wouldn’t be too bad but thunderstorms are likely and lightning will stop a parade. Coastal tides and surf will be up due to the steady onshore wind. Beyond this, we have a couple of possible stormy scenarios.
Rain amounts could range from 2″ to 4″ by evening making rapid flooding possible, followed by river flooding. The other stormy scenario is the risk that thunderstorms may grow severe. That means they might produce hail, damaging wind or an isolated tornado. Have a safety plan and location for stormy situations and make sure you keep up with the forecast today.