Winter weather chances to start 2014 -- and a sincere word of thanks

Since you're asking, and we can't let a forecast of snow go by without a blog, here's what we have to say about it.  (Instead of model graphics, we're only showing memes in this blog since it's our last of 2013.)

Rain Wednesday night will taper off as temps fall and could end as flurries or a light snow shower early Thursday morning. We aren't worried about it and you shouldn't be either.  But we're in Memphis and it could hit during rush hour.  So go ahead and freak out.  Prior to that, a great start to 2014 with temps in the 50s tomorrow afternoon.

Behind the barely-worth-mentioning snow Thursday morning, it's going to be cold. Temperatures could stay below freezing all day Thursday then fall to 19 Friday morning. That would be the coldest we've seen in the Bluff City since February 2011.  And it's not over... we'll only see the mid 30s on Friday, then some moderation before yet another Arctic blast arrives late Sunday.

Sunday's weather had us scratching our collective heads in the weather world for a day or two until today. That's when the European model, which previously locked us in the deep freezer Sunday through early next week, cracked the door open just a bit. However, we'll definitely still feel the effects of the North Pole basically relocating south. Our low of 19 Friday morning will likely not be the coldest we see in the first week of 2014. Look for 20s for highs in some areas on Tuesday.

The snow chance on Sunday is just a little more interesting than Thursday. Timing of the cold air will be key.  Previously I expected it to be early in the day. Now it appears it will be later, which will have a definite (negative) effect on possible snow totals. We'll talk more about that in another post as it gets closer. For now, Kroger stock is up only slightly.  Click here for the slightly-more-official MWN Forecast.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, we want to wish all of our followers old and new a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2014!!  We've are grateful for your support in 2013.  It's been a banner year.  So as the sun sets on 2013, we THANK YOU for your comments (even those that demand that we stick to weather tweets), notes of encouragement, and sincere thanks.  We're blessed to do what we do, to truly LOVE what we do, and have people that appreciate it.

Signing off for 2013 --

Erik Proseus
MWN Meteorologist

Patrick Luckett & William Churchill
Aspiring meteorologists & MWN Interns

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