December 16, 2000
Alot of action going on weatherwise the next few days, some it perhaps wintry. Currently in SE Pennsylvania, the weather is dreary. The temperature has risen to near 50 with showers, drizzle, and fog around the region. The reason for the ugly weather is a storm system developing over the Tennessee Valley. The system is loaded with energy, but will track to our north and west. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes have been ocurring most of the day over Eastern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The cold front associated with this system has a vigorous squall line associated with it. Anyone in the path of that line needs to be extremely wary of the developing situation. Very warm air is being pulled up from the south ahead of the storm system, while colder air is quickly filtering in behind. For our area, that means temperatures will continue to rise slowly the remainder of the day and overnight and should peak in the low 60s early on Sunday. Steady rain will overtake the region late tonight and a thunderstorm or two is a good possibility early Sunday morning. Winds will also be increasing to near 30 mph by early tomorrow. When the temperature this time of year gets into the 60s, its a good sign that a drastic change is nearby. This will be the case throughout the day tomorrow as the cold front sweeps through. Temperatures will nosedive throughout the day on Sunday into the lower 40s by late afternoon. As the system pulls by, there may be a scattered shower or flurry in the afternoon as well. Things will clear out Sunday night with the low around 30. Monday will be mostly sunny with the high in the mid 40s. Tuesday will feature increasing cloudiness with the high around 45. Alot of uncertainty remains in the forecast for the Tuesday night->Thursday time frame. Computer model guidance is all over the place with upper air and surface features. At the moment, it looks like a low pressure area will develop over southern Texas. Where it tracks looks to be the question. One model sends the low (actually just a wave of low pressure) off the southeast coast and harmlessly out to sea. The EC sends low pressure (a dual low) up the coast. The UKMET develops a strong low pressure area and sends it up the Appalachians. So, the jury is still out on this one. Will have a better idea later tonight and tomorrow as to what will transpire. Alot depends on the current system. If needed, there will be an update late tonight. If not, expect an update around 2AM Monday. Take care.
