12/20 – Rob Knight’s Friday-Eve Forecast

A trough of low-pressure is currently digging through the western Gulf of Mexico and will be swinging across the northern Gulf Coast today. This environment is conducive for fog development and observations indicate widespread dense fog is impacting most of the area. The winds will begin to elevate later today with a WIND ADVISORY in effect from 3 p.m. though noon Friday. Visibility should improve as drier air moves in from the W/NW before another cold front begins to push rain into the area later this afternoon/tonight. Showers will steadily ending from west to east tonight, with the last lingering showers exiting the area in Coastal MS around sunrise Friday morning.

Moderate cold air advection behind the cold front will limit temps from warming too much on Friday. Expect highs to be at least 10 degrees below normal for this time of year. Surface high pressure will be moving nearly overhead Friday night which will break down the stronger winds. At the same time, clear skies will allow from strong radiational cooling. Subsequently, temps will crater down into the lower to mid-30s Saturday morning. The onshore flow will return as surface high-pressure slides east of the area Saturday afternoon. This will cause daytime temps to soar back into the lower to mid-60s. This brings a somewhat unusually high diurnal range of nearly 30 degrees from morning lows to afternoon highs. Think warm jacket at sunrise, and T-shirt by early afternoon.

Another boundary will swing into the area late Sunday and linger as a stationary front into much of next week. This scenario will likely bring low-end chances for light rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.