HOUSTON, March 6, 2008 - TODAY AND TONIGHT AN APPROACHING NORTHERN COLD FRONT AND A COASTAL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE...WILL BE THE IMPETUSES FOR POSSIBLE ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FOR THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF AN ADVANCING COASTAL COUNTY WARM FRONT AND DOWNSTREAM OF A NEARING SURFACE COLD FRONT. AS OF NOW...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR STRONG STORMS...SOME BECOMING SEVERE LATER TODAY...ALONG AND SOUTH OF AN INTERSTATE 10 LINE.

THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE BE HAIL TO NICKEL SIZE AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS EXCEEDING 50 MPH IN AND AROUND THE STRONGEST STORMS. THERE IS A VERY SLIGHT RISK FOR ISOLATED WEAK TORNADOES WITHIN THE SOUTHERN WARM SECTOR. HEAVY RAIN IS BECOMING MORE OF REAL THREAT. ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR AT TIMES THROUGH THE DAY...THE HEAVIEST RAIN MAY OCCUR ACROSS NEAR COASTAL AND MORE EASTERN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS COUNTIES. THE MAIN DRIVER TO HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE NORTHEAST MOVEMENT OF A COASTAL LOW ALONG A NEAR SHORE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE. THIS FEATURE MAY SLOW UP THE INLAND COLD FRONTAL ADVANCE...LEADING TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION ALONG THE BEST MID-LEVEL CONVERGENCE. THE TIMING AND AREAS OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL BE STRICTLY DEPENDENT UPON THE HOW FAST THE SURFACE LOW MOVES NORTHEAST AND THE TIMING OF THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH AS IT ENTERS OUR NORTHERN ZONES. EXPECT WIDESPREAD 1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS...LOCALLY 3 TO 4 INCH...RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS.

FRIDAY A VERY COLD AIR MASS MOVING INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST...WITH RESIDUAL MOISTURE AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE EXITING UPPER TROUGH...MAY CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT FOR A MIXED FROZEN PRECIPITATION MIX ACROSS OUR FAR NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES PAST MIDNIGHT FRIDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AS OF NOW...EXPECT LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS...OR DRIZZLE...WITH A MIXTURE OF SNOW FLURRIES ROUGHLY NORTH AND EAST OF A MADISONVILLE TO HUNTSVILLE TO LIVINGSTON LINE.

DUE TO A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REGION...PER THE BUILDING CENTRAL TEXAS SURFACE HIGH AND EXITING UPPER LOW INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES...A WIND ADVISORY WILL MOST LIKELY BE NEEDED. FORECAST IS FOR AREAWIDE AFTERNOON SUSTAINED NORTHERLY WINDS...IN EXCESS OF 15 TO 25 KNOTS INLAND...25 TO 30 KNOTS ALONG THE COAST...THROUGH LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

Send us your FEEDBACK about this story!