Don’t Rain On The Saints Parade!
Radar, Gulf Coast, Image: NOAA
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A line of heavy rain is moving across Louisiana and the Southeastern United States Monday night into Tuesday morning. By the time the New Orleans Saints parade rolls through downtown, the rain will be east of New Orleans.
It won’t be picture perfect parade weather in the Big Easy, but the throngs of Who Dats waiting for a glimpse of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, Garrett Hartley or Tracy Porter won’t be dismayed by the cold weather. (I’m a fan of every player… love Scott Fujita, Pierre Thomas,Devery Henderson, Marques Colston, etc… but I can’t name every one!)
I’m imagining with the amount of people lining the route, there will be plenty of body heat to combat temperatures in the 40s and possible wind chills in the 30s.
Meanwhile, the storm system rolling through the Southeast will dump more snow on the Northeast when it combines with a storm over the Central Plains. D.C. is expecting another foot of snow in the next few days.
If you want to check out the storm totals from the weekend storm that left close to 3 feet of snow on the ground in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, click here.
Meanwhile, I’ll have more on the next snow storm tomorrow.
-Dawn Brown
Blizzard Warnings for Atlantic City
East Coast Blizzard Warnings, Image: NOAA
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Atlantic City is expecting up to two feet of snow overnight tonight. A storm system that produced heavy rains across the Gulf South is now traveling to the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast. On the graphic above, the areas in red are under a blizzard warning. Areas like Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C. are under a winter storm warning. These same warnings stretch from the Northeast west to Indianapolis and south to Asheville, North Carolina.
US Visible Satellite Imagery, Image: NOAA
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Visible satellite imagery shows an elongated cloud shield associated with this storm stretching far south past the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
A line of heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms will be moving through Miami, Florida this afternoon and evening as football fans arrive for Super Bowl Sunday.
-Dawn Brown
Large Storm Set to Wallop Midwest, Gulf States
National Satellite Image, Image: NOAA
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A large storm pulling moisture from both the tropical Pacific and Gulf of Mexico is moving into the central Plains and Gulf Coast. TV forecasters in Houston and New Orleans are preparing viewers for heavy rains and the possibility of flooding.
Rainfall Forecast, Image: NOAA
Winter weather advisories are in effect from Amarillo, Texas to Rapid City, South Dakota. These active southern storms can be blamed on El Nino. The El Nino weather pattern picks up moisture from the Pacific and drives more of the storms on a southerly route, drenching California and the Gulf Coast States.
This storm is expected to finally make its drive to the Mid-Atlantic by Friday and Saturday.
-Dawn Brown
Gulf Storms Stir in Mexico, Where’s the Miami Heat?
Southern Plains Radar, Image: NOAA
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Another low pressure system will develop in the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow afternoon. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will envelope major cities such as Houston and New Orleans before spreading east. More than 4″ of rain is forecasted to fall in Brownsville and Corpus Christi, Texas.
Wednesday's Temperature Forecast, Image: NOAA
Meanwhile, where’s the Miami heat? Rain showers have been moving through the Sunshine State for the last couple of days as the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints converge on Miami for Super Bowl Sunday. Miami’s forecast calls for sunshine tomorrow and sunshine on Super Sunday.
Check out the links to the MYL TV forecasts from around the country for the latest watches and warnings in your town.
-Dawn Brown
Ski ‘Bama!
Okay. This is just a fun post. This past weekend, my fiance and I drove 8 hours from New Orleans, Louisiana to Mentone, Alabama to ski at Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort.
It’s a little hidden resort in Northern Alabama near the Georgia border. The mountain is 1800 feet above sea level, the snow is man-made, but it’s definitely fun!
The Run!
There are a number of ski resorts in the Smokey Mountains, but this was the closest place to us where we could find skis and a place to ride! It was a blast. There’s a tow-rope to the top of the run, and it took me less than a minute to ride down the slope (without turning). My fiance learned to ski last year in Lake Tahoe, so he enjoyed the chance to practice his skills, and even improve on a relatively easy run.
Don’t get me wrong, there was definitely an incline on this mountain. There is a chance to gain some speed and practice your skills. That’s why it was such a great opportunity for us as we plan another trip to Tahoe this Spring.
Slope-side Chalets!
I loved the slope-side chalets, the lack of TV, radio or internet, and the isolated surroundings. There’s not much to eat at the resort, but nearby Mentone, Alabama is a quaint village with scrumptious homemade food and some cozy inns. We arrived at about 8pm Saturday night, took in about an hour of night-skiing, and then went straight to bed! (Nothing else to do, no TV or internet.) The next day, after about two hours of skiing, we decided to head into nearby Mentone to eat at the Wildflower Cafe. It came recommended, but there weren’t a lot of choices. I loved the homemade spinach quiche and tomato pie. Then, we decided to visit Desoto Falls and hike along Little River Canyon. It was such a nice trip.
I think we’re going to try out the nearby Dude ranch next.
-Dawn Brown
Huge Storm Blankets Midwest
National Radar, Image: NOAA
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A large area of low pressure is cutting across the Central Plains. Winter storm warnings cover14 states.
National Watches and Warnings, Image: NOAA
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Up to a foot of snow could fall in places like Little Rock, Arkansas. Other major cities impacted by this storm include Oklahoma City, Memphis and Charlotte.
It will spare the Northeast as it moves to the Mid-Atlantic tomorrow, and then out to sea.
-Dawn Brown
Heavy Rain to Hit Texas, California Spared
- Rain Forecast, Image: NOAA
Northern Texas prepares for a round of heavy rain and or snow this week. The latest precipitation forecast called for 3 inches to fall in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area in the next couple of days. Currently, northern Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas are under winter storm watches.
A storm system developing in Southern California will take aim at these Central Plains states late this week. This low pressure system will combine with cold Canadian air to bring the possibility of wintry weather to the Plains.
California Radar, Image: NOAA
Rain continues to fall in central California today. The Monterey/Salinas area can expect heavy showers throughout the day. Santa Barbara will also experience a rain event, but it looks like the rain will move through quickly this Tuesday. No major problems are expected as homeowners in California try and recover from last weeks’ storms.
East Coast Drenched, Another Round for SoCal
US Watches and Warnings, Image: NOAA
Elmira, Binghamton and Syracuse, New York are all under flash flood warnings this morning as a large storm system spirals off the East Coast. Rainfall rates of more than an inch an hour are expected.
This large area of low pressure takes up the entire eastern half of the United States. Blizzard warnings are in effect in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
Northeast Radar, Image: NOAA
Another Pacific storm is triggering winter storm warnings in the Sierra. California is bracing for another round of heavy rain and snow tonight into tomorrow.
-Dawn Brown
Advection Fog
Fog is a cloud that is actually on the ground! There are many different ways that fog forms. What’s behind advection fog, though, is pretty interesting. Advection fog is most common along the West Coast of The United States during the spring and first few months of summer. In fact, most of the fog that affects San Francisco, and the nearby coastal areas, is due to the advection fog process. Namely the fog that affects the West Coast is known as sea fog, Advection fog may last for hours, or even days.
Advection Fog From Above
The way advection fog, or more specifically sea fog, is winds blow over warm water that is relatively far out to sea. There, the air picks up warmth and moisture. The winds then take that air and drag it over cooler water nearer to the coast. This process condenses the water vapor out of the air and develops the cloud. The winds then take the cloud, which is near the surface of the water, and drag it over the near-shore areas of the land.
Advection fog can also occur in interactions between warmer water and cool landmass areas.
In fact, advection fog can occur during other seasons and in other parts of the country. On a smaller scale, advection sea fog occurs in the Gulf South during the wintertime months. Here, winds out of the southeast drag air over the warm waters of the central Gulf of Mexico and eventually over much cooler near-shore waters developing fog over places like New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana. In fact, sea fog will be socking in Boothville in far southeast Louisiana prompting fog advisories through Friday morning.
US Watches & Warnings, Image: NOAA
Southern & Western Wallop
Yet another El Nino system is pulling into the California coast. One to three inches of rain has already fallen across the foothills surrounding the Sacramento Valley and more is on the way, creating flooding across many of the lower elevations. Up in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, near blizzard conditions are happening right now with a good 8 to 16 inches of snow on the way for skiers.
National Satellite Image, Image: NOAA
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In the meantime, yet another El Nino storm is moving through the Deep South. This has provided for a couple of inches of rain across the central Gulf Coast and tornado watches from just north of New Orleans, all the way up into Mississippi, east Texas, and southern Arkansas. Tornadoes were even spotted Wednesday afternoon over portions of Southeastern Louisiana. Tornado Watches are in effect for cities like Jackson, MS.
US Watches & Warnings, Image: NOAA