The Mid-South is about to get a reminder of what winter feels like as the coldest air of the season to date arrives just in time for a long holiday weekend.
In the wake of a Wednesday night cold front, an airmass of Canadian origin surges into the Mid-South. And the cold airmass looks to have staying power, as Canada leaves the back door open and a couple of weak fronts reinforce the chill over the next several days. Those weak fronts will bring a few clouds from time to time. However, dry air will be in place, so overall expect a good deal of sunshine once clouds associated with the initial front diminish on Thanksgiving Day.
Freezing temperatures finally reach Memphis
As to the magnitude of the cold air, temperatures will remain mostly in the 40s with a chilly breeze for Thanksgiving. The first freeze of the season for the city may occur Friday morning as residents head out for early bird deals (or perhaps to run off a few of those Thanksgiving calories), as wind chills sit in the 20s. The mercury only recovers into the mid 40s Friday afternoon, even with full sunshine.
If by chance it doesn’t quite reach 32 degrees at Memphis International Airport (the official weather reporting station for the city) Friday morning, Saturday morning will definitely drop below freezing as lows reach the upper 20s. Either way, we’ll be about two weeks behind the normal first freeze of the fall. However, it’s not the latest first freeze on record by a long shot. That occurred in 1994 when temperatures didn’t drop to 32 degrees until December 11.
Cold air lingers into early next week
High temperatures remain in the 40s through the weekend with lows near freezing once again Sunday morning. Looking ahead, similar cold temperatures are expected Monday and Tuesday, with Monday likely being the coldest morning of this period with lows in the mid 20s for most of the area.
On a final note, this airmass will also feature low humidity. The dewpoint (a measure of the amount of moisture in the air) will fall to near 20 degrees for a few days, so keep the moisturizer and hand lotion close by. It’s called “Canada Dry” for a reason!
Erik Proseus
MWN Meteorologist
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