Storm outlook for tonight 4/10/13

Here's the latest information concerning the potential for severe weather tonight.

Generally, expect to see storm development start late this afternoon or early evening.  Counties in the Delta area should see storms between 8pm and 2am (generally west of Interstate 55).  Counties further east should see storms move through between 1am-7am, and counties in the far eastern side of the state between 7am and 12pm tomorrow.

All modes of severe weather are possible, including damaging winds, tornadoes, and hail.  Heavy rainfall is expected, with 2-4" possible across the area, and locally higher amounts may be possible as storms track slowly over some locations.  A Flash Flood Watch is in effect through Thursday morning.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
535 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...

A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE REGION WILL PRODUCE GUSTY
WINDS ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. EXPECT SUSTAINED WINDS FROM THE SOUTH
SOUTHEAST FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL TO FREQUENT GUSTS RANGING
FROM 30 TO 40 MPH AND A WIND ADVISORY IS IN AFFECT. THIS WILL CAUSE
HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AS WELL AS
VEHICLES TRAVELING ON WEST TO EAST ORIENTED ROADS.

WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED EARLY THIS EVENING INTO
THURSDAY MORNING AS A LINE OF STORMS MOVES EAST INTO AND ACROSS THE
OUTLOOK AREA AND COMBINES WITH THE WARM MOIST UNSTABLE AND SHEARED
AIR MASS OVER THE REGION. FORECAST MODELS CONTINUE TO DEPICT A
VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA SUPPORTIVE OF SEVERE
STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS TO AT LEAST 60 MPH...
LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS...AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES DURING
THIS TIME. PLEASE CONTINUE TO STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND
MORE SPECIFICS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER
POTENTIAL THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING.

IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE
OUTLOOK AREA. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
ARE POSSIBLE FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF THE NATCHEZ TRACE
CORRIDOR WITH 1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. INTENSE RAINFALL RATES
COULD RESULT IN LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IN SOME LOCATIONS.
ALSO...SOME SMALL CREEKS...AREA RIVERS AND LOW LYING AREAS COULD
EXPERIENCE RISES IN WATER LEVELS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...THE ACTIVATION OF STORM
SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS MAY BE NEEDED
EARLY THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING.

The map below shows anticipated rainfall for the 48-hour period between 7am Wednesday and 7am Friday

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Update on Wednesday Storm Chances

A high pressure area is currently dominating our weather, bringing warm and humid southerly winds into the area, which will contribute to our storm chances on Wednesday.  Forecasters expect breezy conditions to continue Tuesday, becoming more gusty Wednesday.  Highs each day will be in the mid-80's, with lows in the upper 50's to lower 60's, with some overnight clouds.  A Wind Advisory is likely for Tuesday, and almost assured for Wednesday.

Severe weather and heavy rainfall will be the focus for Wednesday night into Thursday morning.  A warm, moist, and unstable airmass will build ahead of an approaching cold front.  This instability will set the stage for severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds, a few tornadoes and large hail.

A few discreet supercell storms may move through, or develop over, the Delta area and other locations along and near the Mississippi River just ahead of the cold front.  While this development is not assured, the potential does exist.  A squall line is expected to develop along the front and sweep through the state as the front passes during the night.  With the loss of daytime heating, the severe potential may be less for the eastern portion of the state. 

We'll likely see heavy rainfall in the Delta, with 1 to 2 inches possible across the area, with locally higher amounts possible.  The maps below indicate rainfall forecasts as of Monday evening.  The first map shows rainfall forecast from 7pm Tuesday to 7pm Wednesday.  The second shows the forecast from 7pm Wednesday to 7pm Thursday.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Storms expected mid-week

Forecasters and computer models are expecting a round of severe weather for Mississippi this Wednesday into early Thursday.  The developing weather system will bring the risk of damaging winds, tornadoes, and hail.  Additionally, heavy rainfall may be likely across much of the area, with current models indicating generally 2" across western Mississippi, with locally higher amounts likely.  We'll have more specific information each day this week as we get closer to Wednesday.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
258 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A DEVELOPING STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL PRODUCE WINDY CONDITIONS
ACROSS THE AREA FOR BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY AFTERNOONS. EXPECT
SUSTAINED SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH
ON MONDAY...WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER WINDS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY WHEN A FEW
GUSTS MAY APPROACH 45 MPH. THE STRONGEST WINDS ON BOTH DAYS WILL BE
LOCATED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST DELTA REGION.

WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
INTO EARLY THURSDAY AS A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM IMPACTS THE AREA.
FORECAST MODELS INDICATE A VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTIVE OF
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES WILL BE IN PLACE.
ALTHOUGH UNCERTAINTY IN EXACT TIMING OF THIS EVENT EXISTS...
CONFIDENCE IN SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRING IS HIGH. EVERYONE IS URGED
TO STAY TUNED TO FUTURE FORECASTS AND OUTLOOKS CONCERNING THIS
POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.

IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM AND
FLOODING COULD BECOME AN ISSUE.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM
SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS...WILL LIKELY
BE NEEDED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THURSDAY.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

More Space Station Viewing this week 4/7-4/13/13

Here's a round-up of opportunities to see the International Space Station this week.  Provided there's good weather, the listings below should offer you a good, bright view as it passes over Mississippi.  Please note the times are in 24-hour format.  19h = 7pm, 20h = 8pm, 21h = 9pm.  Relative brightness is expressed as a negative number, with -4.0mag being very bright, -2.0 being less bright.  All passes listed are visible, but from one pass to another you'll notice variations in brightness due to the space station's position relative to the sun from your viewing point.  Also, these times are for the Mississippi Delta area.  Your specific viewing time may vary from a few seconds to one minute difference than those listed if you're not near the Delta area.

The best opportunities will be Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with Tuesday's pass being the brightest this week.

SUNDAY:
Appears      19h36m01s   0.0mag  az:199.2° SSW  horizon
at Meridian  19h38m46s  -1.6mag  az:180.0° S    h:12.5°
Culmination  19h41m03s  -2.9mag  az:129.4° SE   h:23.5°
 distance: 903.6km  height above Earth: 410.7km  elevation of Sun: -4°  angular velocity: 0.51°/s
Disappears   19h46m04s  -0.8mag  az: 59.8° ENE  horizon

Appears      21h12m28s   1.0mag  az:251.3° WSW  horizon
Culmination  21h17m34s  -1.4mag  az:323.6° NW   h:25.2°
 distance: 859.5km  height above Earth: 410.7km  elevation of Sun: -23°  angular velocity: 0.53°/s
at Meridian  21h18m52s  -1.6mag  az:  0.0° N    h:19.7°
Disappears   21h19m21s  -1.5mag  az:  9.3° N    h:16.3° 

MONDAY:
Appears      20h21m51s   0.9mag  az:237.2° WSW  horizon
Culmination  20h27m10s  -2.7mag  az:319.2° NW   h:47.0°
 distance: 548.3km  height above Earth: 411.1km  elevation of Sun: -13°  angular velocity: 0.83°/s
at Meridian  20h27m53s  -2.9mag  az:  0.0° N    h:38.6°
Disappears   20h32m09s  -0.6mag  az: 40.7° NE   h:1.6°


TUESDAY:
Appears      19h31m29s   0.7mag  az:223.0° SW   horizon
at Meridian  19h36m42s  -4.0mag  az:180.0° S    h:77.1°
Culmination  19h36m51s  -4.1mag  az:135.2° SE   h:80.8°
 distance: 416.5km  height above Earth: 411.4km  elevation of Sun: -2°  angular velocity: 1.10°/s
Disappears   19h42m13s  -0.7mag  az: 47.6° NE   horizon

THURSDAY:
Appears      19h27m32s   1.7mag  az:245.5° WSW  horizon
Culmination  19h32m45s  -1.6mag  az:321.7° NW   h:31.9°
 distance: 726.5km  height above Earth: 412.2km  elevation of Sun: -1°  angular velocity: 0.63°/s
at Meridian  19h33m51s  -2.1mag  az:  0.0° N    h:25.2°
Disappears   19h37m58s  -0.6mag  az: 38.2° NE   horizon

International Space Station visible 4/6/2013

The International Space Station will be visible from Mississippi tonight, April 6, 2013, around 8:30pm Central Daylight Time.

It should appear in the South-Southwest about 8:25pm, then at its highest point in the Southeast at 8:31pm, then disappear in the Northeast at 8:33pm.  It should be very bright at its highest point, slightly brighter than the planet Venus.  If you have a scanner, program 145.825 MHz and you may hear amateur radio data transmissions from the Space Station.

Please note your viewing time may vary from a few seconds to a minute plus or minus the indicated times, depending on your observation location.

The times below are valid for observers in the west Mississippi Delta:

Appears      20h25m56s   0.2mag  az:214.4° SW   horizon
Culmination  20h31m14s  -4.0mag  az:133.0° SE   h:49.5°
 distance: 528.0km  height above Earth: 410.3km  elevation of Sun: -14°
Disappears   20h33m16s  -2.6mag  az: 64.0° ENE  h:19.6°

Weekly Rainfall 3/31-4/6/2013

We're looking for volunteer observers to participate in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network!  You can join the network by visiting www.cocorahs.org for information on how to join, and where you can purchase a CoCoRaHS gauge.  Many counties in Mississippi have no observers at all, so if  you routinely measure and record rainfall totals, please consider becoming a CoCoRaHS volunteer.  If your county already has observers, your data is still useful to the National Weather Service, emergency management, and a host of community organizations.  Click here for an article previously published on this website concerning the need for CoCoRaHS volunteers.

The data below was compiled using a www.cocorahs.org rain gauge on the north side of Indianola, MS over the past week.  The gauge is read and emptied at approximately 7:00am daily, therefore the rainfall total shown each day is from the prior 24 hours starting at 7:00am.

Total rainfall for the week was 2.02".

Current total April rainfall: 1.13" (0.89" was recorded on March 31, thus the variation in week and month-to-date total).

Date ▼	Time	Station Number	Station Name	Total Precip in.	New Snow in.	Total Snow in.	State	County	View
3/31/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.89	NA	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/1/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.33	NA	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/2/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.00	0.0	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/3/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.06	NA	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/4/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.63	NA	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/5/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.11	NA	NA	MS	Sunflower
4/6/2013	7:00 AM	MS-SF-1	Indianola 1.1 N	0.00	0.0	NA	MS	Sunflower

Send a Message...

Would you rather send birthday cards instead of an email or social media birthday greeting?  Perhaps a note to congratulate a graduate, baseball champions, or new parents?  What about a quick note of thanks?

Increasing postage rates (now $0.46 for 1st Class Mail, $0.33 for postcards) take the nostalgia out of old-fashioned mail service, when Facebook and other social media, along with email, are free and instantaneous. 

But what about another alternative that offers some of the simplicity of mail or telegrams, but at the same price (free!) of email or instant messages?  Would you take advantage of that?

Amateur radio operators across the country send and receive messages just like we described.  They do it as a free service, too!  A simple, twenty-five-word telegram-like message, called a "Radiogram" can be drafted and sent to your friends or loved ones.  Amateur operators offer the service as a means to maintain proficiency in communications skills that are vital for use in disaster communications.  Generally, messages can be relayed across the continental United States in one to two days, passing from one amateur operator to another, until they reach their final destination.  While it's slow than electronic communications, it's faster than the US Mail in most cases, and above all, it's completely free to you.

If you'd like to bring a smile to your friend's face with an old-style radiogram, K5JAW offers two ways for you to draft and send a Radiogram.  First, you can click the "Send a Radiogram" button in the bar at the top of the blog page, or you can click this link to reach the same page.   Fill in all the required information, then scroll down and hit "Submit" only once.  K5JAW will be notified and will send your message at the earliest possible convenience.  Alternatively, you can send an email to jim (at) k5jaw dot com.  Please include the name, address, and phone number of the message recipient, your name and contact information (phone and/or email), and the short message you'd like to send.  There is a 25-word limit, and punctuation (periods, question marks, etc) count as a word.  K5JAW will format the message properly, and reserves the right to truncate parts of the message without changing the overall meaning, so that it will fit the proper format.  If that is not possible, we'll contact you to work out a better message plan.

If your message is time sensitive (birthdays, etc), please send it to us several days in advance, so that there will be adequate time for it to be delivered.

We've received great feedback from Radiogram recipients.  Many were surprised the service even existed.  Most all enjoyed the quaint aspect of the service as well.  Give it a try!