Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Quick-hitting cold front could be a sign of things to come as weather pattern becomes more active

After a few days of very pleasant fall weather, a potent low pressure system will escort a cold front through the Mid-South early Thursday. There will be a good chance of rain between midnight and noon Thursday with this system, but the biggest change will be a quick blast of cold air. After a few days in the 70s, Thursday will feel very chilly with temperatures remaining in the 50s all day.  A surface map with forecast precipitation from the GFS computer model valid Thursday morning is shown below.  Severe weather is not anticipated with this weather system. In fact, thunder is likely to be absent as showers move through.

A potent weather system arriving Thursday morning will bring a shot of rain and much cooler temperatures
Following this weather system, high pressure will quickly build over the east coast, called the Bermuda High.  The Mid-South, positioned on the west side of the high, will experience a prolonged period of southerly wind and more warm temperatures as we head into the weekend and early next week. In fact, the region will be caught between the high to the east and a developing trough of low pressure over the western and central U.S.  The result could be a more stormy period for the second and third weeks of November, which also happens to coincide with our secondary severe weather season.

Whether we get any severe storms remains to be seen, however with a good fetch of moisture-laden warm air from the Gulf and low pressure developing to our west, it can not be ruled out. Now is a great time to review the severe weather safety tips in the MWN Storm Center and be prepared for the possibility of severe weather in the coming month. In addition, you can sign up for StormWatch e-mail alerts for your county in case severe weather strikes.  MWN will be unveiling StormWatch+ for smartphones in the near future as well.  Read more about this amazing push notification technology here.

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For weather information for Memphis and the Mid-South, where and when you need it, visit MemphisWeather.net on the web, m.memphisweather.net on your mobile phone, download our iPhone or Android apps, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

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