8/30 - 12:30pm - MSU Forecast, Watching the Tropics

Here's your weekly Mississippi State University forecast:


Notice how we might not even break 90 this week because of the cold front that came through yesterday. The rain we're having now should stop by the mid afternoon and sunny skies should take over for most of the week.

We've had a bit of a break in storm formation in the tropics over the past couple of days, but it looks like that will change. A tropical wave east of the Caribbean organized itself overnight and is set to become a tropical depression if it keeps organizing:


Just yesterday this wave looked very disorganized and didn't look like it had potential to strengthen. We'll have to really watch this one, especially because of its proximity to the Caribbean Sea.

8/28 - 11:30am - Cooler Temperatures on the Way, Danny Weakens

Tropical Storm Danny has weakened quite a bit (winds are only at 40mph) in the last day or so and is now not forecast to become a hurricane. The track has shifted towards the East Coast a bit as well, but luckily it will not strike with as much force as previously thought:

The yellow highlight on the North Carolina Outer Banks indicates a Tropical Storm Watch for that area.

Another area of disturbed weather in the Atlantic halfway between Africa and the Caribbean needs to be watched as it tries to organize over the next few days. We may indeed have a new tropical depression if this system can get its act together.

Last weekend was absolutely beautiful here in Starkville with lower temperatures and a lack of humidity. Another round of nice weather is set to enter the area after a cold front passes on Saturday evening. Temperatures should stay in the 80's from Sunday until at least the middle of next week, with lower humidity. Today should still be hot though, with a high of around 90 and a chance of storms this afternoon. A better chance of storms will be around tomorrow with the approaching cold front, along with temperatures in the lower 90's again.

8/26 - 10:30am - Tropical Storm Danny

Tropical Storm Danny has formed overnight and could potentially affect the East Coast this weekend. Winds right now are at 45mph and this storm is forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday morning. The latest models are not agreeing on how far or near the coast it will get, but the National Hurricane Center's forecast track seems to be taking the average of the model tracks:


This is something we'll definitely need to keep watching this week.

Around here in Starkville the heat and humidity have returned. The temperature is already 80 degrees, so it won't take long to get into the lower 90's this afternoon. Stay cool out there!

8/23 - 12pm - MSU Forecast, Hurricane Bill to the UK

It's been hot and sticky over the past week here at Mississippi State, but a cold front that came through late last week really cooled things down and took the humidity out of the equation. It looks like the cool temperatures and low humidity will continue for the next couple of days, but more hot weather is in the works for the middle of this week. Things should remain dry for most of the week as well:


Category 1 Hurricane Bill is getting ready to clip Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in Canada today, but luckily the storm is weakening and will become a tropical storm tomorrow. The interesting part of this storm is where it's headed after Canada.... The United Kingdom. The storm will cross the Atlantic and what's left of it could make landfall in the upper part of the UK. It will most likely be just a bit of rain and wind by the time it gets there, but the fact that this storm has gone from Africa, to the US East Coast, then to the UK really shows how far a storm can travel.

8/19 - 10:30am - Category 4 Hurricane Bill

Hurricane Bill has strengthened overnight to become a category 4 storm with winds up to 135mph. The current forecast track takes it just west of Bermuda, while at the same time sparing the East Coast:


The only other feature in the Tropics right now are the remnants of Tropical Storm Ana, which will most likely not strengthen again.

Around here in Starkville, looks like we'll continue the heat and humidity this week with a daily chance of rain.

An EF1 tornado damaged some department stores in Beaumont, TX yesterday, click here to read more.

8/16 - 11am - New Tropic Developments, MSU Forecast

Tropical Depression Four has formed overnight, which should be Tropical Storm Claudette later today. Looks like some rain from the system could pay Starkville a visit:


The quick development of this system demonstrates the potency of the Gulf waters right now. Tropical Storms Ana and Bill are still alive in the Atlantic, but Bill is strengthening quite a bit more than Ana. Bill is forecast to become a major hurricane, but landfall is still a question right now:


Tropical Storm Ana's track has quite a bit of rough terrain to cover, which will weaken the already disorganized storm:


Whether or not the storm can strengthen after getting into the Gulf of Mexico is anyone's guess. At any rate, the tropics have awakened and it's time to start keeping up with the latest forecasts.

I've been asked to create a weather forecast for the public announcement TV in the front lobby of my residence hall here at MSU. It will be updated every weekend and I'll post it here on my blog as well:


It's great to be doing weekend forecasts again!

8/15 - 1:30pm - Tropics, House Building

It's been an interesting 24 hours. Yesterday it looked like Tropical Depression Two might not regenerate it self after falling apart. Instead of dying out, it instead intensified to become Tropical Storm Ana. Here's the track on Ana, which is may or may not become a hurricane depending on the track it takes:


Obviously that track may have people in Florida a bit nervous at the moment, but things are always subject to change as we've seen in just the past few hours. The next area of interest in the Tropics is Tropical Depression Three, which is looking like a more serious contender right now than Ana. Take a look at the storm track:


The National Hurricane Center thinks this storm will be a hurricane by Wednesday. The computer models are loosely agreeing on a track just north of Puerto Rico, but it's difficult to estimate where it will go after that. The GFS model has been showing a hurricane coming onshore in the U.S. for the past couple days, but the landfall location has varied wildly. To sum it all up, it's just too early to tell what will happen with either storm.

Yesterday a couple friends and I went to work on the MSU-led Habitat for Humanity house in Starkville. Here are some pictures from our work day:


After working in the heat and humidity yesterday, I think I've finally adjusted to the climate here!