Cold Snap in the South

Okay, it's cold. Because I'm stubborn, I still continue to wear short sleeve shirts (with a jacket, I'm not insane!), despite these November highs being in the 40s some days here in Mississippi. The air is as dry as it is cold lately; so even when a cold front comes through, clouds are still minimal and rainfall is an afterthought. We thought we might get some rain this weekend...nay. Probably won't happen. Maybe some rain early next week (50% chance on Monday, not bad), but overall it's like an ice desert here in Mississippi.

The dew point today (Friday) is 19 degrees Fahrenheit. It would really have to get cold before we see even some frost. Very dry. And the winds are actually not too terrible--winds are in the teens today, but it could be worse.

I don't hate the cold weather, but it does remind me of my days growing up north of here (not too far north, Virginia to be exact) and seeing snow on a yearly basis. I wish the air wasn't so dry! I want clouds...and I really want to see some snow here. I think that Mississippi is a very beautiful state. The Mississippi State campus is also very nice; so I believe that just a little bit of snow would be gorgeous. Also, to see snow this far south this early in the year (or at all!) would be so out of the ordinary it would make everyone happy.

But I digress. Today will probably be the coldest of the next few days. The high today is in the 40s, and the temperatures will steadily rise with each new day. It will be frigid during each night though; temperatures with be well below freezing for the next few nights (until that chance of rain late Sunday night).

See what I'm talking about here?

The past few days have been a prime example of what I was talking about in the previous post. The rain in Starkville that finally came in buckets on Thursday and Friday was part of a cold front and precipiation pattern that has been predicted for about a week. I got to see some of the thickest fog I've ever seen. It was a very active few days, weather-wise. None of the weather "goings on" here in Starkville were quite as important as the severe weather watches/warnings that were issued around my home town in Columbia, SC. One county (Sumter) was issued a tornado warning, the surrounding counties (which included Richland County, where Columbia is) had a tornado watch. My girlfriend was very prepared for the worst, but no tornado came close to her house, thankfully.

But all that is really exciting. She told me that there was a tornado watch. The first thing I said was "Be Careful." After that, it was "Tell me everything that happens!" Sane people shouldn't be like that, right? Storm chasing--I want to do it. I want to drive into the heart of a storm and observe one of these monsters. I want to see the worst nature can throw at us...from a safe distance of course. It just seems thrilling.

I can never look at weather the same way again.

My life is forever changed. I will never be able to look at the world around me the same way ever again. It's because I'm a student of meteorology. Whenever I go outside, look out a window, or hear something about the weather, I think of the plethora of things that I've learned. When I look at clouds, I think thinks like cumulonimbus or stratiform, when I feel the humidity, I think dew point, and when I think snow, I think "Why is the best weather school in the nation in Mississippi?". I will never be able to blindly observe the weather without thinking about all the theories and laws behind nature's atmospheric processes...for the rest of my life. It's permanent. I know it.

The last thought I'll leave this post with is the other way my perspective has changed by being a student of the weather. Bad weather is good. The wose the weather is, the better it is for the meteorologist. We get into this mode of saying "Oh boy, an F4 tornado is only 15 miles away!" What sane person says something like that? I've only been a meteorology student for a few months, but already I think in those terms. Of course I don't want bad things to happen to anyone, but it is so exciting to track hurricanes, spot tornadoes, and predict other types of severe weather using all the resources at our disposal. It's fun. But it's also a bit morbid. Weird, eh?

The birth of a new weather blogger.

In an effort to further populated the already crowded blogosphere, my blog appears from thin air. I will be outlining things about the weather where I live (Starkville, MS) as well as things from the weather that I find...interesting.

First, the conditions in Starkville. Today's high is going to be around 72. The calm breeze will be a welcomed complement to what I deem as damn near perfect. It'll be pretty chilly tonight, though, so I hope the trick-or-treaters bundle up.

But I don't think you could you ask for better weather moving into a weekend filled with college football. The Mississippi State football team, Starkville's most popular commodity, will be hosting Kentucky, and the weather will be prime for tailgating and football. These "perfect" conditions will persist for the next 4 or 5 days. Why? It has to do with this dome of high pressure that has nestled in for a long autumn's nap right here in the southeast, and, well, across the whole country. With the dew point here in Starkville (45 degrees) pretty low, it keeps the clouds away and there's no precipiation to ruin these beautiful conditions.

But...for a weather nerd like me, fair weather can be pretty boring. I mean, what do you talk about? A weathercaster can only tell people how nice it is outside for so long until they take his advice and go outside. I need some excitement, I need some change. So, okay, we might see some rain in the middle of next week here in Starkville. So that'll be fun to talk about.

As far as the rest of the United States, it's pretty fair across the board. Even the "low" pressures are in the 1010s pretty much across the board (not that low). Persistently high pressure nationwide leads to more people going outside and flying kites (and more trick or treating tonight!) and less people caring what their weatherman has to say. I love kites just as much as the next guy, but once again, I want some excitement...maybe hurricane force winds would make kite flying more extreme? I digress.

So this blog is rough around the edges, and I admit, I'm lacking on the graphics right now...I'm new. Sue me. But as this blog evolves, I see it becoming more exciting (i.e. more pictures, less of me gabbing along). Stay tuned.