Following 39 forecast days, with only 1 break day, I had to take a few days in between ACTION to catch up on some field work and get winter precipitation totals in order up to this point.
An ALERT for high winds was needed across our mid-upper elevations on Friday ( as I had figured ) with gusts of 30-50 mph being common.
Black Mountain MesoNET Wind Graph ( 24-hours Ending 11:30 PM Feb 19 )
These strong winds also made conditions feel cooler with 40s and 50s air temperatures ( not counting wind chills ) across middle-upper elevations above 2500 feet.
Nora 4 SSE – NWS Observation Site In Middle Elevations
Looking ahead here are a few headlines ( I will be back forecasting daily beginning tonight or Sunday ).
*Rain will increase across the mountain area Sunday with a period of moderate-heavy rainfall possible.
*Air flow shifts to northerly upslope and an ALERT for dense fog may be needed by late Sunday into Monday at mid-upper elevations along and north of the High Knob Massif and Tennessee Valley Divide. A period of freezing fog could even occur in upper elevations into Monday as conditions are damp & chilly.
*A Major Winter Storm system will impact the mountain region next week, with more significant snow likely ( as well as rain ). Details are yet to be worked out regarding timing & precip amounts.
*This period is connected to a coming polar vortex split and another surge ( warm spike ) in temperatures over the North Pole during the next week to 10 days. More arctic air surges are likely into the eastern USA in coming weeks as winter hangs on this year.
