Good Sunday afternoon everyone. Temps today have spiked up to 80 in many areas as winds gust close to 35mph at times. In a few days… highs will likely stay in the 40s for many as a massive pattern change takes place.

The winter pattern we have been talking about may take on a little bit of a tropical twist. A system is trying to get going down in the Gulf of Mexico and may become a named storm over the next day or so. Here’s a look at the area of concern…



As our winter looking trough digs into the central and eastern half of the country… this storm will be picked up and become entrained into the pattern. That is going to add some serious juice to an already stacked setup.

This means a bigger storm winding up in the eastern part of the country and may end up being much more of a rain and wind maker for us. It will also be able to tap some colder air for the middle of the week. Folks… if this were JUST 3 weeks down the road… wow! This would be a monster of a snowstorm for many people. It’s mid October, so the air looks to be warm enough for mainly rain outside of the Appalachian Mountains. It is going to be very close and is something to keep an eye on.

The action gets started Tuesday with a mega temp gradient taking shape across the state…



That is showing a 30-35 degree temp swing. That would be awfully impressive for this time of year!

Once the big storm winds up o our east… check out the cold high temps being forecast by the GFS…



Brrr!

In the short term… a cold front is sinking southward toward the state and is kicking off a scattered shower or two. Some of those may sneak in here tonight and early Monday. You can see those here…



Enjoy your evening and take care.