10/30 - 11pm - Spooky Forecast on WBBJ ABC 7!

We had our pre-Halloween episode of Good Morning West Tennessee Saturday on WBBJ ABC 7 this morning. I wore a vampire cape for both main weathercasts during the show and let me tell you that it is not easy to operate a chroma key wall with that extra fabric in the way! Forecast-wise, there's no rain in the forecast for Jackson until at least Monday and even then we're only talking about a chance. Once a warm front moves out of the region on Wednesday, rain chances should diminish and we'll be left with clear skies and cool temperatures. Check out my video from this morning below:

10/26 - 5pm - MSU Weathercast / Severe Weather

We're under a Tornado Watch in Starkville until 7pm tonight as a cold front continues to kick up a few severe thunderstorms around North Mississippi. We've been lucky enough to miss the bulk of the severe weather here in Mississippi, but areas in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky have been dealing with wind damage and tornadoes throughout the morning and afternoon today. As this record-breaking low pressure system in Minnesota begins to weaken and move off to the east, weather conditions will improve across much of the East and we'll see the return of sunny skies and cool temperatures here in Mississippi. Check out my latest MSU forecast video below:

10/24 - 11:40am - Severe Weather Risk Today Across the South

Severe weather could be on the way this afternoon and evening for a large chunk of the country. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Slight Risk from just south of Chicago to Dallas/Fort Worth, to East Alabama, and southward to the Gulf Coast. Here in Starkville, MS, we're right in the middle of all this. This Slight Risk includes a 5% tornado risk, 15% hail risk, and 15% wind risk for us here in North Mississippi. We're already seeing a few small storms breaking out in the Delta region of Mississippi, but I don't expect anything substantial to form until this afternoon.

This is a fairly classic severe weather setup for the South today. From the west we're seeing the entrance of a shortwave trough into the region, which is causing divergence, or wind spreading, in the upper levels of the atmosphere. This spreading of the winds up there causes air at the surface to rise because something has to fill that low pressure void aloft created by the divergence. That rising motion, along with cooler temperatures in the upper atmosphere and increased heating and moisture at the surface act to create atmospheric instability, or the tendency for air to rise. Today we're already seeing instability or CAPE values above 1000J/Kg, and it's expected that we'll see values into the 2000J/Kg range. Anything above 1500J/Kg is considered to be adequate for a severe weather setup, so we won't be lacking in instability later on today and tonight. Wind shear, or the differences in wind speed and direction with height, is important because it helps sustain any storm that forms by blowing the storm's downdraft away from its updraft. This keeps the downdraft from contaminating the warm, moist air needed for the updraft. We'll have bulk shear values around 40-50kt this afternoon and evening, which is adequate for severe weather.

These storms will be in clusters when they form and come through the area tonight, but there's a chance that we could see some independent cells as well. This really isn't a big event for tornadoes, but there's a chance that a few could spin up later this afternoon and into the evening. I'm more concerned about the hail and high winds that these storms could bring, so be on the lookout for that. This risk extends well up into West Tennessee as well, but the severity of the storms will most likely be limited by lower dewpoints and the presence of the rain moving into that region this morning. The satellite image this morning shows that quite a bit of sunlight will be able to reach the ground today here in North Mississippi, which should crank up instability. This severe weather event won't be historic or record-breaking in any respect, but it does pose a general threat to parts of the South this afternoon and evening.

I'll be sending out updates on this event for the Starkville, MS / MSU area on Twitter and Facebook today. I'll also post if there are any major severe weather developments in other areas of the South as well.

10/23 - 1:30pm - Today's WBBJ Video

There's quite a bit of weather to talk about today after what seems like an eternity of drought and clear skies. A shortwave (small trough of low pressure) will advance towards West Tennessee over the next couple of days, resulting in increased chances for showers and thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday. Some of those storms Sunday night could be severe, especially across East Arkansas, North Mississippi, and extreme Southwest Tennessee. Another shortwave and cold front will cross through the area on Tuesday, giving Jackson and surrounding areas another shot at some strong storms. That's good news though... We need the rain! Check out this morning's video from ABC 7 in Jackson below:

10/19 - 5pm - MSU Forecast Video

We're in for a pleasant rest of the week once these showers and storms clear out of the area, although we do need the rain around here. Portions of Mississippi are in a Severe Drought according to the US Drought Monitor, but some alleviating rains could be on the way later this weekend. Check out the video below:

10/16 - 5pm - WBBJ Good Morning West Tennessee Video

We completed another successful broadcast of Good Morning West Tennessee Saturday on WBBJ ABC 7 this morning. The weather is pretty tame right now across West Tennessee and Mississippi, so the forecast looks like a winner! Check out the video below (Note: This recording has some audio and video errors due to antenna interference):

10/11 - 3pm - Mississippi Severe Weather / WBBJ Video

I'm back home in Louisville for the long weekend thanks to Mississippi State's later-than-usual fall break. Tomorrow will be my day to travel back to Mississippi, and interestingly enough, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a SLIGHT Risk (15%) for severe weather tomorrow across most of the state. A jet streak passing through the Mississippi Delta tomorrow afternoon will create upper-level divergence (air separation) and allow some instability (rising parcels of air from the surface) to setup mostly north of Meridian, MS. That factor coupled with surface dewpoints in the 60's tomorrow should support some severe weather across Mississippi tomorrow, with a greater emphasis on northern and central portions of the state. Because of the marginal shear environment that will be in place tomorrow, there's really no tornado risk. Cool temperatures aloft could trigger a few instances of medium/large hail and gusty winds can be expected with any storm that forms. We really need the rain back in Mississippi, so any precipitation from these storms will be greatly appreciated! The so-called "secondary" fall severe weather season in the South is just starting up, so while this severe event won't be too bad, it will serve to increase awareness about what could come in the following weeks.

Check out some clips from my weather segments on WBBJ ABC 7's Good Morning West Tennessee Saturday from this weekend below:

10/5 - 5pm - MSU Forecast Video

It's been very dry around North Mississippi and it will continue to be like that for at least another week or two as high pressure stays firmly in place across the Eastern half of the US. These cool, dry, and windy conditions are creating a fire risk, so take extra caution if you're putting on a bonfire or burning brush this week. Check out the video below:

10/2 - 3pm - My Saturday Morning Shift at WBBJ Begins

Today was the start of Good Morning West Tennessee Saturday on WBBJ ABC 7. This is the first time ABC 7 has had a morning news show on a Saturday and I'm thrilled that I was able to help kick things off! Since this was the very first show, there were a few small errors here and there both technically and on the set (like my comical sprint from the weather desk to the news desk that happened while the 7-day forecast was being discussed - forgot where I had to be!), but everyone at WBBJ deserves a pat on the back for an excellent job this morning. Check out the highlight reel below that I put together of the various morning weather segments:



I also filled in for a shorter-than-usual (due to high school football) 10pm newscast last night. This show debuted my new voice-over intro and a promo for the Good Morning West Tennessee show, which was pretty neat to see just as I was going on-air:



Overall it was a very good weekend in Jackson and I can't wait to do it all again next week!