Cold Blast Will Be Brief & Not As Severe...

With many of us near 80 today, we start to believe maybe Winter is over.  That is far from the truth and we'll be back into February reality by daybreak on Friday.   What I see with this cold blast is the core of the cold will stay well to our north and east as the upper energy pulls away.  The upper trough is NOT diving down to the Gulf Coast.

There is quite a battleground this afternoon with heavy snow north of the boundary and severe weather to the south.  Yesterday SPC issued an outlook where the severe storms were most likely and, buda boom, they are spot on.

The severe threat is leaving Mississippi heading into Alabama & Georgia this evening.  Since the upper low is racing away, the cold front should pass us around midnight with skies clearing before daybreak.  Friday will be sunny but 20-25 degrees colder.

Look at the 40+ degree difference between Houston & Dallas!  You will need heavy coats & sweaters on Friday.  Dew points have surged to 70 at Jackson indicating deep low level moisture is in place.  We are somewhat protected from severe weather by the "marine layer" streaming in from the Gulf where water temps are in the 50s & 60s.    

I grabbed these frames from Bruce's program detailing the timing of the front.  Our coldest morning will be on Saturday with the North Shore 32-35 and the South Shore 39-43.  I am NOT planning on bringing my plants inside with this cold spell.

All parades this weekend will not worry about rain, but rather chilly temps Friday night into midday on Saturday.  Sunday looks to be the best day of the weekend.  

Friday will still be breezy, but not as bad as today.  The final pictures show why I live in the deep South.  While we flirted with 80 degrees, I grabbed pictures from The Weather Channel's Felicia Coombs standing at Navy Pier in Chicago.  Some of you may love the cold, but as I progress into my later life, I can deal with the heat better than the cold.    I'm kinda like "the special man".  Let 'em Have it!!!   Stay tuned!