Florence, Alabama

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

We as Americans are blessed with two fairly large Florences. The one in Alabama, the one we are forecasting for today, features a bit of history, as the site of famous recording studios during the early ages of rock and popular music. Let’s see if this forecast rocks, eh?

At 953PM, CT, Florence was reporting clear skies and a temperature of 35 degrees. Dew points were near 20, and surely, Florence would drop below freezing overnight. Since Florence has already had their first freeze for the year, freeze warnings were confined to the Gulf Coast, north of a cold front and on the northern end of the strong jet trough that fed the system in the northeast yesterday.
The jet trough is long waved, and not expected to move much for the next two days. This means the cold pool parked over Alabama isn’t going to shift out of town either. There will be chilly days and even colder nights in Florence, given the clear skies that are expected.
Tomorrow – Sunny, High 53, Low 25
Sunday – Sunny, High 52, Low 30

TWC: Tomorrow – Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds High 52, Low 25
Sunday – Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 51, Low 31

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny High 50, Low 24
Sunday – Partly sunny High 52, Low 32

NWS: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 50, Low 24
Sunday – Mostly sunny, High 51, Low 30

WB: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 48, Low 27
Sunday – Partly cloudy in the morning, then clearing, High 48, Low 36

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 50, Low 24
Sunday – Partly cloudy, High 50, Low 30

CLI: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 51, Low 28
Sunday – Sunny, High 51, Low 33

A look at the satellite provides a good look at warmth radiating out of the southeast overnight (AKA, clear skies). Well, at least north of that band of clouds in central Florida.

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

Western Arkansas, just south of the Ouachita Mountains is where Fort Smith lies. It’s an interesting place to forecast for at any time of year, but particularly with the holidays on the way.

At 953PM, CT, Fort Smith was reporting a temperature of 57 degrees with clear skies. Temperatures were dropping precipitously in Oklahoma and Arkansas, but Fort Smith found itself to be the cool spot of the region, even among the more recently reporting spots. The jet has shifted to the middle of the country, a sure indicator of the looming winter season, and an opening for the threat of particularly chilly air in Fort Smith. Surface low pressure is analyzed south of the Quad Cities, and a cold front is stretched through Kansas, poised to drop through Arkansas tomorrow.
The cold front may touch off a few showers in and around Fort Smith about midday tomorrow, setting the stage for a breezy and cool afternoon. Tuesday will be cool, but dry as a weak ridge sets up, anticipating a busy holiday travel week.
Tomorrow – Drizzle around midday, cloudy and getting cooler, High 60, Low 40
Tuesday – Mostly sunny, High 58, Low 34

TWC: Tomorrow – Cloudy early with partial sunshine expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower.  High 59, Low 43
Tuesday – Mostly sunny skies. High 59, Low 34

AW: Tomorrow – Cloudy most of the time, breezy and cooler High 61, Low 43
Tuesday – Partly sunny High 57, Low 34

NWS: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, High 61, Low 44
Tuesday – Mostly sunny, High 58, Low 36

WB: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, high 59, Low 42
Tuesday – Sunny, High 57, Low 37

WN: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy, High 61, Low 43
Tuesday – Mostly Sunny, High 58, Low 36

CLI: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 67, Low 41
Tuesday – Mostly cloudy, High 59, Low 35

As you may have established, the low on Monday will come at midnight, leading into Tuesday. The cold front is not active, but you should still be able to find it on the satellite imagery.

Midland, Texas

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

Midland used to be the Weather Forecast Office that I would think about when thinking of severe thunderstorms, but in recent years, that focus has certainly shifted eastward. In mid-November, though, Midland could still provide a few forecast thrills.

AT 953AM, ET, Midland was reporting a temperature of 58 degrees with clear skies. An upper level ridge is parked over the Mississippi Valley, and sitting on the western flank of this ridge is allowing west Texas to remain comfortable and dry. A weak but active boundary east of the Mississippi is pushing most of the moisture in the middle of the country well away from the Lone Star State.
The upper level ridge will only work to get broader while a sharply angled trough in the western US will begin to get stronger flow through it. This will lead to an increase in warm air for Midland, however the narrow but strong wave will have a difficult time translating eastward. The beginning of the weekend will be warm and pleasant for west Texas, if a bit breezy.
Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 79, Low 47
Saturday – Sunny with a bit of a breeze, High 82, Low 53

TWC: Tomorrow – A mainly sunny sky. High 79, Low 47
Saturday – Partly cloudy skies. High 81, Low 56

AW: Tomorrow – Sunny, breezy and pleasant High 76, Low 47
Saturday – Mostly sunny and very warm High 80, Low 55

NWS: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 77, Low 49
Saturday – Sunny, High 80, Low 56

WB: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 76, Low 47
Saturday – Sunny, High 80, Low 57

WN: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 77, Low 50
Saturday – Mostly sunny, High 80, Low 56

CLI: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 78, Low 48
Saturday – Partly cloudy, High 81, low 54

Well, that is sure a pleasant forecast, isn’t it? Let’s just say it is probably good this forecast stops at Saturday. For now, the satellite is basically a picture of Texas.

Carson City, Nevada

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

After toiling in the Midwest pretty regularly of late, we are going to head out west, and the state capital of the Silver State. What’s up, Carson City?

At 1235PM, PT, Carson City was reporting clear skies and a temperature of 57 degrees. An area of low pressure over the Pacific Northwest was directing a cold front through the Sierras. There was precipitation on the western faces of the mountains, and blustery winds over the mountains and through the eastern slopes, including Carson City, where wind speeds were gusting to 30mph.
The trough off the west coast is going to remain in place for the foreseeable future, which means the low in the area is going to recycle, and flow will continue from the west into California and eventually western Nevada. The moisture won’t be robust, so it will struggle to breach the mountains until the trough itself is able to move into the Great Basin. Thursday will continue to see some patch cloudiness, but Friday will see the introduction of some light rain with a possible snowy mix into the forecast.
Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 50, Low 36
Friday – Chance of light showers, mixing with snow, High 45, Low 28

TWC: Tomorrow – Intervals of clouds and sunshine High 51, Low 33
Friday – Mainly cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible High 40, Low 30

AW: Tomorrow – Times of clouds and sun with a shower in places; cool High 52, low 29
Friday – Cloudy and colder High 43, Low 29

NWS: Tomorrow -A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 10am. Snow level 5700 feet rising to 6200 feet in the afternoon. Mostly sunny, High 53, Low 29
Friday – Snow, mainly before 4pm. High 42, Low 25

WB: Tomorrow – Sunny in the morning and then becoming partly cloudy. A slight chance of rain and snow, High 50, Low 32
Friday – Snow likely, High 41, Low 28

WN: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy with scattered showers, High 52, Low 31
Friday – Mostly cloudy with light snow, High 42, Low 28

CLI: Tomorrow – Light rain showers, High 51, Low 29
Friday Heavy snow showers, High 44, low 27

That’s enough out of me, here is the scene from KOLO news in Reno.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

I don’t know what to tell you, except that the algorithm has decided to provide a bevy of eastern Iowa forecasts lately. A bevy in eastern Iowa is, of course, two.

At 352PM, CT, Cedar Rapids was reporting a temperature of 48 degrees with clear skies. A cool north-northwest wind dominated eastern Iowa, A large area of high pressure was seated at the center of the country, however unlike some of the summer ridges we’ve contended with this year, this ridge will be transient, and the upper level pattern is active.
The ridge won’t be shifting out of the region by tomorrow, with warmer flow from the south riding a bit of a breeze. The next trough coming out of the Rockies will dislodge the ridge, and bring a modestly active line of showers with a few embedded storms to Cedar Rapids on Wednesday evening. The sharp trough is tightening and directing the low through Illinois on Wednesday. Expect cooler temperatures to wait to start intruding until early Thursday as clouds and light rain continue even through midnight, while breezy accompany the passage of the low.
Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 52, Low 30
Wednesday – Rain and embedded thunder in the evening, High 52, Low 38

TWC: Tomorrow – Plentiful sunshine. High 51, Low 29
Wednesday – Cloudy skies with periods of rain later in the day. High 53, Low 37

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny and breezy High 50, Low 31
Wednesday – Variable cloudiness with showers; breezy High 50, Low 36

NWS: Tomorrow – Increasing clouds High 48, Low 29
Wednesday – Showers, mainly after noon. High 51, Low 37

WB: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 50, Low 35
Wednesday – Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers in the afternoon, High 49, Low 41

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 48, Low 29
Wednesday – Mostly cloudy, with showers, High 48, Low 37

CLI: Tomorrow – Clear, High 49, Low 30
Wednesday – Rain Showers, High 51, Low 37

At some point, with a lack of clouds, it’s more of a map than a weather product, right?

Champaign, Illinois

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

We’ll head to America’s Heartland for our weekend forecast. Champaign is the home of the University of Illinois, school with a good meteorology program, and rivals of my Purdue Boilermakers.

At 1053AM, ET, Champaign was reporting a temperature of 55 degrees with clear skies. High pressure was seated over the Great Lakes, thanks to a shortwaved ridge riding the greater jet structure. This means that while it is sunny in east central Illinois, it is also fairly cool. A perturbation moving out of the base of the mean trough is starting to send some high clouds into the area. While it is cool and calm right now, a couple of features, the remnants of Rafael in the Gulf and the perturbation in the trough poise to make the weekend a bit less pleasant.
Rising moisture out of the Gulf will carry with it some additional warmth tomorrow. The well wound system in the center of the country is rapidly occluding, but is generally well organized enough to transfer airmasses, and send some worthwhile cold air into Champaign behind the cold front tomorrow evening. This will allow the murky shower and perhaps isolated thundershower activity not to overstay its welcome. Clearing will come by the end of the day on Sunday.
Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, with rain in the afternoon and evening. An isolated thunderstorm can’t be ruled out. High 58, Low 40
Sunday – Rain early, then clearing and warmer with sunlight, High 63, Low 49

TWC Tomorrow – Cloudy skies (Late rain), High 59, Low 40
Sunday – Sun and a few passing clouds (Early rain) High 64, Low 52

AW: Tomorrow – Increasing cloudiness (Late rain)High 60, Low 41
Sunday – Breezy and pleasant with periods of clouds and sun High 62, Low 46

NWS: A 20 percent chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, High 60, Low 40
Sunday – A 40 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly sunny,  High 64, Low 49

WB: Tomorrow – Partly sunny in the morning, then a slight chance of showers in the afternoon, High 60, Low 42
Sunday – Mostly sunny, a chance of showers in the morning, High 62, Low 49

WN: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy with showers and isolated storms, High 58, Low 39
Sunday – Partly cloudy with isolated showers, High 62, Low 52

CLI: Tomorrow – Light rain showers, High 58, low 40
Sunday – Sunny, High 63, low 52

It’s going to be active and wet this weekend, though not a complete drencher. Still, if it is going to be this cool, it’s pretty gross. Clouds are already filtering in across the region.

Davenport, Iowa

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

Davenport is the largest of the Quad Cities, lying on the border with Illinois. You would think the Quad Cities would have more people than the Twin Cities, right? One of life’s mysteries.

At 1252PM, CT, Davenport was reporting a temperature of 55 degrees with clear skies. After a tumultuous beginning to the week, the clearer skies were a welcome change of pace. High pressure has developed over the western Great Lakes, and will keep the Quad Cities dry through the rest of the work week. The trough that had lingered in the western US for nearly a week is beginning to wither, but not before one last system generates in the southern Plains.
This system will begin to move to the northeast through Friday as a tightly wound, organized feature, but as the upper level pattern loses focus, so too will the surface feature. Hurricane Rafael will also be winding down in the Gulf of Mexico around this time, but will lend some of his leftover moisture to the Plains feature, so even if there aren’t strong storms, there will be a a healthy dose of rain on Saturday afternoon and evening. The system will linger through the evening, leaving a dreary night in the Quad Cities.
Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 60, Low 38
Saturday – Rain, heavy at times in the afternoon, and mostly cloudy with drizzle in the evening, High 53, Low 43

TWC: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny skies. High 62, low 36
Saturday – Cloudy with occasional showers for the afternoon High 55, low 41

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny and pleasant High 61, Low 39
Saturday – Cloudy and cooler, turning breezy with periods of rain and a thunderstorm in the afternoon High 55, Low 42

NWS: Tomorrow – Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, High 60, Low 35
Saturday – A 50 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, High 57, Low 39

WB: Tomorrow – Areas of fog in the morning. Sunny, High 55, Low 40
Saturday – Partly sunny in the morning then mostly cloudy with a chance of showers in the afternoon, High 55, Low 42

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 60, Low 35
Saturday – Mostly cloudy with light showers likely, High 54, Low 40

CLI: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy, High 61, Low 39
Saturday – Rain showers, High 54, Low 41

I am certainly of the opinion that Saturday will be murkier than the other outlets, which is the reason for my narrower temperature range. The satellite this afternoon in Davenport is very nice.

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

We keep tearing through forecasts in election swing states, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona and now North Carolina. It’s not intentional, but it’s certainly quite the coincidence.

At 553PM, ET, Rocky Mount was reporting a temperature of 66 degrees with fair skies. High pressure over the eastern seaboard was finally starting to be shoved off shore by a deep trough in the plains. Flow at the southwestern end of the ridge is bringing onshore flow, including a few clouds and light showers over South Carolina and Georgia. Overnight tonight, the flow will moderate, and Rocky Mount will stay dry overnight.
The NHC is monitoring Tropical Storm Rafael, which is still south of Jamaica, but will move into the Gulf of Mexico through the forecast period. It isn’t going to be a significant landfalling event for the United States, however the moisture from the storm will be intercepted by the strong boundary moving through the Plains, blunting it’s progress and keeping the Carolinas dry through Wednesday.
Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 78, Low 52
Wednesday – Increasing clouds, High 78, Low 55

TWC: Tomorrow – Areas of fog early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Very warm. High 79, Low 52
Wednesday – Cloudy. Very warm. High 81, Low 56

AW: Tomorrow – Areas of morning fog; otherwise, very warm with sunshine and a few clouds; dry weather to get out and vote High 80, Low 52
Wednesday – Very warm with periods of clouds and sunshine; a shower in places in the afternoon High 82, Low 54

NWS: Tomorrow – Patchy dense fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, High 79, Low 50
Wednesday – Partly sunny, High 80, Low 59

WB: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy in the morning, then clearing. Patchy dense fog in the morning with visibility one quarter mile or less at times, High 80, Low 54
Wednesday – Mostly cloudy, High 79, Low 57

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 78, Low 56
Wednesday – Partly cloudy with light rain showers, High 79, Low 61

CLI: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy, High 79, Low 52
Wednesday – Mostly cloudy, High 81, Low 57

Of our various forecasts of late, this was surely the easiest. Happy voting, and a happy end to election season!

Phoenix, Arizona

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

It’s time for our second forecast of the day, and as luck would have it, things project to be quite different in the second forecast compared to the first.

At 451PM, MT, Phoenix was reporting a temperature of 66 degrees. Scattered showers were flowing through much of the Southwest, but right now, Phoenix was only reporting showers in the area, but not at the airport. At the upper levels, the base of a deep, autumnal trough as digging into the Four Corners, and cycling moisture through the region, leading to the showers in Phoenix, a band of thunderstorms south of the city near Casa Grande, and even some snow at elevation along the New Mexico border.
Flow through the jet will weaken over the next 12 hours, as moisture also shifts to the northeast into the Plains. Still, with the upper level trough still in place, don’t expect a dramatic warm up, or even significant stretches of sunshine. Wind will pick up again on Tuesday evening, though expect conditions to remain mostly dry.
Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 71, Low 50
Tuesday – Partly cloudy, High 74, Low 47

TWC: Tomorrow – Sunny. High 73, Low 51
Tuesday – Generally sunny.  High 74, Low 49

AW: Tomorrow – Cool with plenty of sunshine High 72, Low 50
Tuesday – Mostly sunny and cool; dry weather to get out and vote High 73, Low 50

NWS: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 72, Low 50
Tuesday – Sunny, High 73, Low 48

WB: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 71, Low 52
Tuesday – Sunny, High 73, Low 50

WN: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 72, Low 51
Tuesday – Mostly sunny, High 72, Low 49

CLI: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 73, Low 52
Tuesday – Sunny, High 74, Low 50

OK, so that doesn’t sound so bad for election day, but it sure sounds like a chilly way to spend a couple days for Arizonans. An active radar pattern appears in Arizona.

Racine, Wisconsin

Ryan Henning 1 Comment

Regardless of your political affiliation, Tuesday is election day, and Wisconsin is one of the important swing states. Our forecast for Racine isn’t just a big forecast, but it is an historic one as well. Not to putt too fine a point on it.

At 1253PM, CT, Racine was reporting a temperature of 55 degrees with brisk wind and rain. The showers were a bit more scattered along the shores of Lake Michigan, but most of Wisconsin was seeing rain at this time, and every resident of Wisconsin will see at least a drop of rain today. Racine, and really all of Wisconsin, finds itself at the northwestern point of a slow moving and broad trough, which has initiated the stratiform rain across America’s Dairy Land.
The jet streak running from the Red River Valley northeast to the western Great Lakes is not going to advance eastward, but will get steady recycling energy along the current. This will be reflected at the surface through bursts of energy bringing training rain and storms north through Wisconsin, particularly on The best chance for heavy rain, along with some isolated thunderstorms will be overnight Monday into Tuesday. Expect things to start cooling down late in the day, though snowfall isn’t particularly likely.
Tomorrow – Scattered showers, with heavy rain coming late, High 70. Low 59
Tuesday – Heavy rain and embedded thunderstorms, clearing and cooling late. 66, Low 52

TWC: Tomorrow – Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 68, Low 58
Tuesday – Rain showers, with winds diminishing later in the day. High 67, Low 62

AW: Tomorrow – Cloudy, windy and warmer with occasional rain and a thunderstorm High 66, Low 53
Tuesday – Mostly cloudy with a couple of showers; windy and mild; prepare for wet weather if you are headed out to vote High 65, Low 51

NWS: Tomorrow – Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 3pm, then a chance of rain and thunderstorms between 3pm and 4pm, then rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. High 67, Low 57
Tuesday – Rain and possibly a thunderstorm High 68, Low 50

WB: Tomorrow – Rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning and then a chance of light rain in the late morning and early afternoon. Light rain likely and slight chance of thunderstorms late in the afternoon, High 66, Low 56
Tuesday – Light rain and slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, and light rain in the afternoon. High 66, Low 51

WN: Tomorrow – Cloudy with rain and a chance of thunderstorms, High 65, Low 57
Tuesday – Mostly cloudy with light rain and isolated thunderstorms, High 65, Low 60

CLI: Tomorrow – Thunderstorm, High 68, Low 56
Tuesday – Rain Showers, High 68, Low 60

It’s going to be interesting to see how quickly it cools off on Tuesday, because not everyone had hourly forecasts through the day. For tonight, though, look at all the rain in Wisconsin.