March: Comfortable Weekend Weather & Warming Trend

[Katdaddy]

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
453 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2014

...STRENGTHENED SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY AFTERNOON WINDS...

.A TIGHTENED ONSHORE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN LOWERING WESTERN
TEXAS PRESSURES AND GULF HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING WILL STRENGTHEN
SOUTHERLIES THROUGH THE DAY.

TXZ176-195>198-210>212-226-227-235>237-190000-
/O.NEW.KHGX.WI.Y.0015.140318T1800Z-140319T0000Z/
AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GRIMES-JACKSON-
MADISON-MATAGORDA-WALLER-WASHINGTON-WHARTON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALVIN...ANGLETON...BAY CITY...
BELLVILLE...BRENHAM...BROOKSHIRE...BRYAN...CALDWELL...
COLLEGE STATION...COLUMBUS...EAGLE LAKE...EDNA...EL CAMPO...
FREEPORT...HEMPSTEAD...LAKE JACKSON...LAKE SOMERVILLE...
MADISONVILLE...MISSOURI CITY...NAVASOTA...PALACIOS...PEARLAND...
PIERCE...PRAIRIE VIEW...RICHMOND...ROSENBERG...SEALY...
SUGAR LAND...WEIMAR...WHARTON
453 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2014

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM CDT
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
WIND ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
7 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

* EVENT...SUSTAINED 20 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING TO 30 MPH...SOUTH
SOUTHWEST WINDS.

* TIMING...LATE MORNING THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.

* IMPACT...MAKE TRAVELING ALONG EAST TO WEST ORIENTED ROADWAYS
MORE HAZARDOUS. UNANCHORED LIGHTWEIGHT OBJECT TOSSED ABOUT.
SMALLER BRANCHES RIPPED OFF TREES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DRIVERS OF VANS...CAMPERS...TRAILERS...AND OTHER HIGH-PROFILE
VEHICLES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE DANGER OF THESE WINDS...
ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ALONG EAST TO WEST ORIENTED ROADS

[BlueJay]

Windy again today! So far March 2014 has been "manely" all LION.

[srainhoutx]

Morning update from Jeff:

Weak cool front sliding across the area this morning.

Weak boundary will push off the coast this morning with low to mid deck of clouds slowly breaking up today across the region. Increasing northerly winds will help regulate any additional warm up over the past few days with highs today in the lower 70’s versus near 80 yesterday. Large wildfires and blowing dust yesterday over W TX has been lofted into the atmosphere and some of this may work its way into our area today on the NW winds…but it shouldn’t be any worse than the already thick pollen in place. South winds return by Thursday afternoon and the moisture begins to come back northward. Zonal (west to east) flow aloft will begin to bring disturbances across the state as early as Friday and as moisture increases so will the chance of showers. No real focus for widespread rains until the second half of the weekend.

Moisture levels really ramp up over the weekend with PWS values increasing to near 1.5 inches (compared to .46 of an inch last evening at LCH) and surface dewpoints likely well into the 60’s. Nearshore waters remain cool and dewpoints will likely rise above those water temperatures again with the threat of sea fog returning as early as Saturday. Another frontal boundary will slowly sink into the region from the NE on Sunday adding a good focus with all the moisture in place for more widespread rain and a few thunderstorms. Pattern appears to be in place for a period (about 48 hours) of NE surface winds being overrun by WSW to SW flow in the mid and upper levels resulting in the so common winter 2013-2014 overruning pattern with cool surface temperatures and precipitation. Appears rains will continue into Monday with highs likely only in the 50’s. Current modeled QPF (rainfall amounts) are averaging between about .50 to 1.5 inches across the area which will help further on those 2014 rainfall departures. There will likely be some change in the weekend into early next week forecast over the next few days…likely with the timing of the disturbances moving in from the west and the amount of rainfall.

[BlueJay]

March 2014 continues to roar in. Sounds like Spring 2014 may have a rocky start.

[BlueJay]

Today is the vernal ("spring") equinox. It is one of two times during the year that the sun's rays directly cross over the Earth's equator. The days and nights during an equinox are roughly the same length of time. The autumnal ("fall") equinox occurs on September 22/23.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox

[jasons2k]

Just an observation, but it appears there is a new author for the overnight NWS discussions coming out of HGX. The discussions for the last several days read different than they used to. They seem more formal, technical, and verbose, and all the humor is gone.

"Sea fog" has been replaced by "maritime fog", for example.

[BlueJay]

Spring 2014 has officially sprung!

Happy Spring to everyone!

[Texaspirate11]

Its officially Spring cuz my egg told me at the stroke of Spring!

[BlueJay]

How eggstra cool is that!

[jasons2k]

Try it today and see if it works

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/errata ... x_eggs.htm

[wxman57]

Of course, the egg balancing on the equinox is an urban myth. Even if the theory was correct, it would only apply to a point on the Equator at the instant of the equinox. Of course, other forces are far more significant than any change in gravitational influence, like the shape of the egg and the internal movement of the liquid inside the egg, as well as irregularities of the surface upon which you're balancing the egg.

What this DOES Mean is that winter is finally over for us as far as any low 30s temps or any freezing precipitation. Some 40s next week but hopefully that's the last time this spring.

[Texaspirate11]

Are y'all calling my egg a liar?
*giggles*
I won a bottle of rum off of this
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Paul Robison]

Any one know if the models have penciled in strong or severe storms for this weekend?
P.S. Not scaring anybody: Just asking for the fun of it.

[BlueJay]

We are visiting the beautiful island of Galveston. Extremely foggy and temp has dropped 4 degrees in about 7 minutes. It's now a chilly 66.

[txflagwaver]

Was really hoping for rain this am

[srainhoutx]

Hopefully this is the last of the Winter chill as we transition from a strong cross Polar flow that will bring a rather big Winter Storm to the East Coast early this week to a much more late March/early April Pacific zonal flow. The guidance has been suggesting there may be a chance of the first real severe threat of the Spring season Thursday into Friday and that trend may need to be monitored. The 00Z Euro is suggesting a potent upper air disturbance with lee side cyclogenesis, or s big surface low developing near the Panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma and a dryline out in West Texas. Moisture return from the Gulf should increase during the week as the big storm exits into the Atlantic setting the stage for increasing rain chances and perhaps severe storms across portions of Texas, Oklahoma and the Ozarks on NE into the upcoming weekend.

[Heat Miser]

Was really hoping for rain this am

What about the PM?
Activity developing to our southwest.

[jasons2k]

Dang, I put down fertilizer yesterday morning expecting at least some rain, and so far not a drop. All the stuff to the s&w is staying south of me so far too.

[Ptarmigan]

The chance for any snow is nil for the most part unless we are living in the Ice Age. The only time it snowed in March was in 1932. 0.8 inches of snow fell.

It is possible to see a cold spring. If winter is cooler, than the chance for a cool spring is better as there is a correlation.

[Texaspirate11]

Some info I'd like to share
I am working with the Wildlife rescue down here by the bay:

CONCERNING OUR SIGNIFICANT OIL SPILL down here by the BAY - here are some numbers: PLEASE SHARE: Persons who observe any impacted wildlife are urged to call 888-384-2000.
A claims number has been established for persons who may have questions in regard to personal impact by the incident. The number is 855-276-1275.