12/29/2024 - 01/04/2025

Climate in the News:

Dangerous cold is forecasted throughout the Southern Region as the Polar Vortex breaks down and heads south. With a strong cold front, the northern portion of the Region will see snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Impacts to travel are expected to be significant, for the most updated and local forecast visit weather.gov . 

Weather Synopsis:

Ahead of a cold front to ring in the new year, temperatures felt like the dead of spring. Following this cold front, temperatures dropped, and the air was dry. 

Temperature: 

January is when the Region is consistently seeing cooler temperatures. Frequent cold fronts bring with them colder air masses from the northern United States and Canada, bringing freezing temperatures to the northern portions of the Region.

As mentioned above, temperatures were warm as we ended out the year. Between cold fronts, temperatures would quickly warm back up before cooling down with the arrival of a new airmass. On average, weekly average temperatures were around 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the Southern Region. 

Precipitation: 

With the majority of the region being in a humid subtropical climate, rainfall is common at any point of the year. During the winter months, cold fronts bring with them showers, thunderstorms, and frozen precipitation to the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The boundary between the cold and warm air masses serves as a trigger mechanism for storms.

Precipitation was minimal across the Southern Region last week, with some small accumulations in Northern Tennessee at around an inch. This lack of precipitation across the Region resulted in most of the Region seeing below-normal precipitation totals last week.