1/1 – Chief Meteorologist Rob Knight’s January 1st Forecast

The system started decaying rapidly to the west last night. Only a few light showers remaining in the area and that will clear shortly. The remainder of the weekend looks good for most. Clouds will be hard to get rid of but there will be some areas where the sun gets through for a while. But the upper jet seems to be stubborn in getting out of here which will allow for a stream of moisture from the SW moving through. The cloudiness will affect the entire area Saturday while some light rain showers will move mainly across coastal sections of LA/MS. This should be relatively short lived as the trough finally kicks out with the movement of another cold front moving through Saturday afternoon cleaning the area allowing surface high pressure to settle for the remainder of the weekend.

High pressure controls the area weather through the first part of the workweek. The core of the cooler air mass moves through the local area Sunday into Monday leading to the coldest temperatures of the forecast period during the morning hours. Not anticipating freezing temperatures at this time, trend has continued to be a degree or two warmer compared to yesterday’s models. The high-pressure will shift eastward during the middle part of the week leading to a warming trend as winds turn onshore again. Moderating trend continues through mid-week in advance of another upper disturbance and cold front. Latest guidance suggests this front will move through the area Wednesday night.