Sunday, April 5, 2009

Winter-like weather returns briefly to the Mid-South

A strong late winter cold front, followed by high pressure of Canadian origin, is zeroing in on the Mid-South and will pass through the region this afternoon. A few showers and an isolated thunderstorm will occur along the front, though rain chances are pretty low for the Memphis area. Behind the front, wind will shift to the west and become gusty (30-35 mph gusts) and temps will plummet overnight, from highs near 70 today to the 30s at most locations tonight. With the wind staying up in the 15-20 mph range, the threat of frost is very low tonight, but wind chills will fall to near or below 30 degrees. Clouds wrapping around the low pressure system associated with the front and the push of very cold air could result in sprinkles or perhaps even snow flurries (mainly north of the city) overnight tonight or tomorrow. Monday's highs will be some 25 degrees colder than today, so bundle up as wind will continue to make it feel very cold!!

For Monday night, that wind dies down and the clouds may even depart after midnight, leading to decent radiational cooling conditions, which means very cold temps. A Freeze Watch is in effect for the city and surrounding areas from midnight to 9am Tuesday as temps bottom out near 30 in the city and into the 26-29 degree range in the suburbs. This hard freeze will kill young plants and outdoor vegetation if not properly taken care of. If you have flowering bushes or other exposed plants with tender leaves that are not very close to the ground, you'll want to cover them up or bring them inside if possible. Tuesday will be a little warmer, but still well below normal with highs in the lower 50s. Another cold morning, with a frost definitely possible in the suburbs, will occur Wednesday before south wind helps temperatures quickly rebound during the day into the upper 60s.

The MWN Forecast will be updated to let you know just how LOW it will go!

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