Rukavina's Extreme Weather and Climate Blog

SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING IS A WEATHER AUTHORITY ALERT DAY An expansive and dangerously cold airmass will settle in across the Mid-South for the next couple of days. At times, winds will also be breezy, combining for wind chill values below zero. The National Weather Service in Paducah and Memphis have issued a WIND CHILL ADVISORY that goes into effect Saturday evening at 6PM and runs through Tuesday morning. This includes the entire Local 6 area. This arctic air outbreak will bring the possibility of near record lows headed into the New Year and start to next week. Average low temperatures are typically at 26 degrees compared to the single digits expected the next several days. Making the cold weather even more dangerous, daytime highs will not reach above freezing until after the New Year.  The dangerously cold temperatures with lower wind chills will combine to make frostbite and hypothermia more likely. Wearing layers of clothing, covering extremities, and

The frenzy picks up every year the week before Christmas at the mention of possible snow in the forecast...and when I say frenzy, I mean businesses start running promotions around it, people stock up on sleds and snowball makers, viewership of weather casts go up just to catch the latest inkling that snow might happen. I LOVE IT! Honestly I get caught up in the frenzy too since moving to the South where it's not common at all to have an official white Christmas with an inch of snow or more on the ground. But why? Christmas is ultimately the celebration of the birth of Christ. To many, a timeless miracle. Families identifying as religious or not are brought together and united. The festivities, parades, concerts and traditions surrounding the special day invoke a spirit of giving and love. The joy felt by believing and celebrating is why people can hardly wait to put up their decorations in November. The anticipation of Christmas Day builds as Santa and his reindeer travel th

It happens with the flip of a switch every year in the Mid-South. It's not uncommon to go from very warm and stormy to blustery and cold (snowy) all in a matter of a week. That time has arrived for the Local 6 area this week and the big change will happen late Monday Night and Tuesday.  Warm and windy conditions ahead of a BIG cold front will lead to showers and storms tonight and early Tuesday. While wintery precipitation is not widely expected the stark change will come in temperatures behind the front. This shift in weather dynamics will not be short term. The overall weather pattern will favor a trough (dip) in the jetstream to allow cold, Canadian air to spill southward for several days and favor a few small chances for snow in the next seven days. (Snow lovers clap here!)  As we switch to this northwest flow regime, the cold air in place and energy swinging down through gives us our first chance at flurries and light snow Thursday night. A slightly bigger piece of en