Warmer spring conditions return; farewell from an intern

Early in April, the Mid-South recorded a string of days with high temperatures that averaged near the 80 degree mark. On this blog, I wrote a blog that indicated in the title that cooler spring weather "appears persistent." Sure enough, every day since then has had an average temperature that was below normal for that day. Today marks another turning point.

Pattern shift = warmer weather 

High pressure at the surface and aloft have built into the region. After a "Chamber of Commerce" weather day on Sunday, temperatures warm back above average for the next few days under the ridge of high pressure. We should see highs back to 80 degrees this afternoon with abundant sunshine and breezy south wind. Look for slowly increasing high cloudiness heading into Monday night and Tuesday though as the next system slowly approaches from our southwest. Wind picks up a bit further the next couple of days with southerly gusts in the 20-30 mph range under those high clouds. Highs still reach the low 80s though, and morning lows also rise into the 60s. 

Mid-week "fly in the ointment"

By Wednesday afternoon and evening, a stray shower will be possible as atmospheric moisture increases and we're caught between a weakening upper level low pressure system to our west and strong high pressure over the southeast U.S.

The European model shows the upper level pattern over the coming week indicates above average pressure values (oranges) through much of the week before an upper level low pressure center moves by just to our south late in the week. (WeatherBell)

The high finally relinquishes control Thursday and Friday as the upper low moves into the region, bringing higher rain chances Thursday and Thursday night. A few thunderstorms are possible, but the  severe weather threat appears low. With a surface front moving in coordination with the upper low, additional cloud cover and rain will hold down temperatures on Thursday with highs in the mid 70s. 

Trailing the front, the upper level pattern does not feature as strong of a ridge as earlier in the week. So despite clouds departing, temperatures will remain cooler but still very pleasant - in the 70s for highs and 50s for lows. That should result in a very nice weekend ahead for those of you planning outdoor activities, events, or perhaps graduation parties! 

Farewell to an MWN intern

This is #TeamMWN intern Grace Anello's final week on our social media feeds. Here are some parting thoughts from Grace:

Looking back on the last year, I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed! In late April of 2020, Erik hired me on as an intern in the midst of a pandemic and began training me and shaping my meteorological knowledge from the ground, up. So much of what I know about our field and the analysis we do everyday is from members of the MWN Team. I have so enjoyed getting to craft forecast updates and interact with all of our readers online via Facebook and Twitter! I am excited for the future and for my next chapter at WKRN News 2 [Nashville] as one of their interns but I will always remember and be thankful for the foundation that MWN gave to me! You all have taken this Atlanta girl, moved me 400 miles to the west and still made me feel at home. Thanks for a great year and please keep in touch via my Twitter or Facebook, both @AnelloWX.  -Grace Anello

Grace has been a valuable part of the team for the past year, as has recently-departed intern Justin Bowles. While both have/are moving on to other adventures, the mark they have made on MWN and me personally will live on. They have both served all of you diligently and learned a great deal in the process. 

I'm grateful to be able to provide this "real-world learning laboratory" to the next generation of great meteorologists who will take their knowledge and experiences into the field in the coming years. Grace has one more year at Mississippi State and will then be sharing her forecasts with a lucky TV market after that. We wish nothing but the best to Grace and Justin! Your futures are bright!

Erik Proseus
MWN Meteorologist

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