Ahhhh- Choo! Allergies & Pollen...

Today's "Allergy Level" was a 9.9 out of 12 in Columbus, MS! Nationally, that put us up there with some of the worst in the nation. Yikes.

So what does this have to do with the weather? A lot! Certain weather conditions throughout the year can impact the production and prevalence of pollen, a prime allergy source. For example, windy conditions can play a big role in causing allergies to act up simply because all of that pollen gets kicked up. Combine that wind with dry conditions (low dewpoints), and it is even worse. Another big weather player is the temperature. Mild or warm winters can cause the plants and trees to pollinate sooner, and, if that warm weather continues through the spring, pollen counts will continue to rise.

Luckily, weather isn't all bad-- a good heavy rain can actually ease the effects of pollen allergies by washing it away! Exciting news, right? Unfortunately, there's a little more to it. While rain can bring some relief for a few hours, those wet conditions actually encourage plants, trees, and grass to grow leading to more pollen.

There is some legitimate good news, though! We are expecting a drop off in pollen by Friday.Here's your pollen forecast from Columbus, MS for the rest of the week:

Forecast from Pollen.com

--Shelby

4/10/13- Severe Weather

As the surface low pressure system presently over Missouri continues to move eastward, we will begin to feel its effects today. We will see winds of 20-25 MPH with gusts possible up to over 35 MPH through the morning and afternoon. Temperatures ahead of the approaching cold front will reach the 80° mark today. I'm not counting out a shower here or there, but we shouldn't see the bulk of the heavy rain and severe weather until tonight.

Tonight, heavy rain is expected to begin late in the evening and continue through noon on Thursday. Expect the line to move relatively slowly through the area allowing for rainfall totals to reach up to 2 inches. Thunderstorms will likely occur tomorrow between 4 am and noon. Strong winds and isolated tornadoes, if they occur, can also be expected during this time frame.

So, be especially weather alert tonight through tomorrow afternoon. It's a good idea to go ahead and check the weather radio's batteries and make sure it is set up and working. If you don't have a weather radio, the NOAA Radio app is a good substitute. Just make sure that you turn the volume on your phone all the way up!

As soon as this nasty weather gets through, we will see temperatures drop off into the 70s, and the sunshine will return for the weekend!

--Shelby

Did You See Those Clouds Yesterday?

Well, call me a weather nerd, but I was fascinated with all of the cool looking clouds we saw yesterday! Below is one of the pictures I took!

Okay, now for the part you didn't know...The "speckled" clouds at the top of the picture are a perfect example of what we call a Mackerel Sky. Have you ever heard "Mackerel in the sky, three days dry"? The science isn't exact, but it can be a good rule of thumb. These altocumulus clouds usually indicate an approaching frontal system or convergence zone. On days when you see these clouds, you may also see "Mare's Tails" and jet contrails like the ones below!

Photo taken from contrailscience.com

In our case, the old saying is about right because we are expecting heavy rain to move in Wednesday evening. Check back here for more updates throughout the week!