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This is not the first time we have switched the day we celebrate Halloween. We did it 25 years ago today AND IT SNOWED! That's right, it's been 25 years since kids were Trick or Treating in the snow in Region 8. Snowball fights on Halloween night in Arkansas may be weird, but that's what happened 25 years ago. When you hear about this night, it's always referred to as the time "it snowed on Halloween", but it was not ACTUALLY Halloween. You see, Halloween fell on a Sunday and many cities in Region 8 chose to trick or treat on the night before. So, the snowfall was actually on October 30th. The above image shows the strong upper-level low that had dipped south to help bring the snowfall. This is Saturday evening's 500mb map. I dug up some old climate logs to see what was written about this snow event and this is what I found. Here is the Jonesboro log for October of 1993 from Terry Wood. Click image to enlarge: Notice, Terry logged that we had sleet and sno...

My phone has been busy this morning regarding the Halloween forecast. Many communities, organizations, and churches are already going to Plan B and that is probably not a bad idea. Some are moving activities to the weekend, some are moving them indoors, and some are moving them to tomorrow. Check this link and your organizations for any changes. Here are my thoughts so far about the forecast: It is going to rain on Wednesday. Most areas will see 1-3" of rainfall through the day and evening. There will be some breaks, but pinpointing the exact time and location of those breaks is impossible. Tuesday evening is looking dry for those moving your events to Tuesday evening. The weekend is looking much drier than Wednesday, but we will still be watching for showers on Friday and maybe some showers on Sunday. Here's how much rain 3 models are showing for Wednesday: As I mentioned, there may be some breaks in the rainfall. If you are a "glass half full" type and want some h...

I love this time of the year. We finally go from the quiet summer pattern to a more active pattern. This week, we have A LOT of weather to talk about! First, a lot of eyes are on the forecast for the ASTATE game tonight. Here are a few thoughts about the game forecast: 30% chance of rain in Region 8, but I'm feeling more confident that the game stays dry. Anything that develops near Jonesboro should not last long. Most of the rain stays in the western parts of Region 8. I'm looking forward to being there! Here's what radar could look like at kickoff and near the end of the game: We also have Hurricane Michael that will make landfall at the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, possibly as a major hurricane. Michael will stay SE of Region 8. Meanwhile, Hurricane Sergio in the Pacific ocean will weaken as it moves towards us this weekend. Even though it will just be a remnant when it arrives here, it will still enhance our rain chances a little by Saturday night. Here's a look ...