Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A white Christmas in Arkansas? Not holding my breath…

The National Weather Service guys apparently haven’t gotten the memo explaining that writing in ALL CAPS is the online equivalent of SHOUTING.

Local Severe Weather Alert for Brookland, AR (72417)
...VERY RARE ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL EVENT LOOKING MORE LIKELY FOR CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT AND CHRISTMAS MORNING...  LOW PRESSURE CURRENTLY OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES WILL TRACK EASTWARD ALONG THE GULF COAST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. MEANWHILE...AN UPPER LEVEL PIECE OF ENERGY WILL DIVE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING.  IT APPEARS THESE TWO FEATURES WILL SPREAD A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SOME SLEET ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL..AND WESTERN TENNESSEE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FRIDAY NIGHT AND TURN TO ALL SNOW FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AS COLDER AIR ADVANCES ON THE MIDSOUTH. THE SNOW COULD PERSIST INTO CHRISTMAS MORNING MAINLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WITH FLURRIES OR LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON.  FORECAST MODELS ARE NOW BEGINNING TO CONVERGE ON A GENERAL SOLUTION... BUT EXACT DETAILS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. AT THIS POINT...1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL ON MUCH OF THE MIDSOUTH FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING LEADING TO A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANY AREAS AND PRODUCING SOME TRAVEL PROBLEMS.  A WHITE CHRISTMAS IS VERY RARE FOR THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. THE LAST TIME MEMPHIS HAD AT LEAST A HALF INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND MAKING FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS WAS IN 2004. EVEN MORE RARE IS MEASURABLE SNOWFALL ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED WAS IN 1913.  THOSE WITH TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD STAY ABREAST TO THE LATEST FORECASTS. THIS IS A COMPLICATED SYSTEM AND THE FORECAST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

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