[PBARC] FW: Winter Weather Update 1/21/03 AM

[WOLF, EARNEST G]

> Winter Storm Forecast
> Issued: 09:50 AM Tuesday January 21, 2003
> Arctic Air to Impact Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida on Thursday and Friday 
> 
> Perhaps the coldest air in several years is moving southward into the northern U.S. from Minnesota eastward across the Great Lakes to New England. Temperatures across southern Canada are in the -20 to -30F range this morning. Ahead of this Arctic air, the leading edge of cold Canadian air extends from the Mid Atlantic Coast southwest through southern Tennessee, northern Mississippi, southern Arkansas, and into northeast Texas. 
> 
> We think that the coldest core of Arctic air will plunge southward into the central Mississippi Valley on Thursday then spread eastward to the Mid Atlantic Coast by late Friday. A good bit of this Arctic air will reach the Gulf coast from Louisiana east through Florida by Thursday, producing temperatures well below freezing down to the central Florida Peninsula by Friday. A small piece of this Arctic air should reach Texas, producing conditions perhaps as cold or slightly colder on Friday than last week's freeze event. 
> 
> As far as temperatures along the Gulf Coast are concerned, we're forecasting temperatures of the mid to upper 20s across southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, low to mid 20s across south-central Louisiana, mid to upper 20s away from Lake Pontchartrain south and west of the city of New Orleans. On the Mississippi coast, morning lows could reach the low to mid 20s on Friday. The Florida Panhandle may see lows in the 20 degree range on Friday morning and slightly warmer on Saturday. Across the Florida Peninsula, temperatures may reach near 30 in Tampa on Friday, with upper 20s across the central Peninsula east of Tampa. A light freeze may extend as far south as just north of Lake Okeechobee on Friday. Across the Ohio Valley, temperatures should dip into the single digits on Friday and Saturday. 
> 
> In the long range, another surge of very cold Arctic air is indicated moving out of Canada into Minnesota early next week. We think that this second push of Arctic air will mainly affect the Ohio Valley eastward across the northeast U.S. early next week, although some reinforcing cold air may reach the central to eastern Gulf coast early next week. 
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