Old Man Winter is Coming Back
Temps. May Fall into Teens
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – If you haven’t already, it’s time to get out a few extra blankets and space heaters. Get the fireplace ready because starting this weekend – it’s going to be cold.
Just like Old Man Tom Brady in last week’s Super Bowl, Old Man Winter still has a lot left in the tank and for the next week or so, he’s gonna be showing out
Starting on Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting temperatures will drop into the mid-40s with a low of 35 degrees and a good chance of rain. Friday will see a high of 43 and a low of 30. Saturday’s high will stay below 40 degrees with a low of 20.
Then – it gets cold! Sunday’s high is forecast to be in the mid-30s with a low in the upper teens or low 20s. On Monday, the temperature will not get above freezing with an expected high of 28 and a low of 16. The NWS is also calling for a 50 percent chance of freezing precipitation that day.
Tuesday will see the temperatures warm up to a balmy 37 with a low of 28, while Wednesday and Thursday of next week will see expected highs in the mid-40s with lows in the upper 20s.
According to the NWS, “Another surge of arctic air will follow in the wake of the passing shortwave and exiting precipitation, dropping just about all of the region below freezing Thursday night, and keeping temperatures in the 30s on Friday.”
The NWS went on to state, “The next disturbance will approach from the west Friday night and Saturday while the Manitoba low pivots southeast into the Great Lakes region. This combination will send yet a stronger surge of arctic air southward, making for a dangerously cold weekend and some of the coldest air seen in this region for quite some time.”
The temperature forecast has been lowered from previous forecasts with Sunday morning lows now ranging from single digits across the northwest part of Texas, to the 12-to-16-degree range for the Dallas area and to the upper teens across Central and East Texas.
“To make matters worse,” the NWS stated, “north winds of 15-25 MPH would drop wind chills below zero across the northwest half of the region, with single digits elsewhere. We will likely need to start looking into hard freeze and wind chill headlines as we approach the weekend, and folks need to plan on protecting those most vulnerable to extreme cold. There is also a slight chance of winter precipitation on Saturday.”
The cold continues into next week, and there may be another shot at winter precipitation on Monday. It would be in the form of snow as the entire weather pattern should be below freezing, the NWS explained. Stay tuned, prepare for the bitter cold and be safe while tackling mother nature the rest of the week!
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
