Dangerous Cold To Hang Around Into Christmas

Friday Night Update

December 23, 2022

Storm Team Weather,

Friday Night Forecast Update for December 23nd:

**WIND CHILL ADVISORY THROUGH 10 AM SATURDAY**

A wind chill advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for all of West Tennessee and will last until at least 10 am Saturday. Dangerous temperatures and wind chills will continue into Christmas Eve. Frostbite could occur in about 30 minutes or less.

We only reached a high of 10 degrees today after an extremely cold night of below zero.

We picked up a widespread 1-3″ of snow so far across West Tennessee with the higher totals to the northwest. Parts of Dyer County near Dyersburg picked up 3″ while Jackson saw between 1″ and 2″. Areas south of I-40 ranged from a dusting to around 1″. Secondary roads are still packed with snow and ice while main roads from Lexington and northwest contain a few slick spots here and there. Travel is possible but not recommended again overnight. Snow should stick around through the day on Christmas eve as daytime highs will only be in the lower 20s. Grassy surface areas can expect to remain snow coated for at least a couple more days and may linger longer.

(Snapshot of a comparison of the main, secondary, and grassy surface areas in downtown Jackson)

Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 15° below zero. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning or evening commute again Christmas Eve. The cold wind chills could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.

Now is a good time to catch up on your winter weather driving safety tips if you plan on traveling or might out running errands. Here are a few basic tips and reminders.

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TONIGHT:

Highs reached up to around 50° in the afternoon and will fall the way down to around 1° by sunrise Friday morning. The main concern from this system may end up being the cold as the wind chill will be below zero for an extended period of time. The wind chill is forecast to be between -10 and -15° early Friday night into Saturday morning. We have not had a Christmas system this cold since the 1980s (1983/1989).

FRIDAY NIGHT AND CHRISTMAS EVE:

We may not set any low temperature records from the system as the low records are (-7/1989 on Thursday), (-6/1983 on Friday) and (-10/1983 on Saturday). We do have a shot at the low/max temperature record on Friday (15/1983) as we reached a high of 10° for Friday. Tonight’s lows will again be cold falling down to the mid single digits. Frostbite will be a legit threat is you have exposed skin and are out in the elements for more than 30 mins tonight and Saturday morning, please bundle up!

Here are a few basic tips and reminders as well as clothes you should be wearing if you are planning to go out and play in the snow or taking the little ones out. Frostbite will be a legit threat so take it seriously.

May be an image of text that says 'STORM TEAM WEATHER wbbjtv.com WHAT TO WEAR! IMAGE COURTESY OF NWS EATHER Frigid Heavy Jacket and Accessories! A hat. A scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth. Sleeves that are snug at the wrist. Mittens (they are warmer than gloves) Several layers of loose-fitting clothing. Water-resistant coat and boots.'

CHRISTMAS WEEKEND:

The winds will weaken some during the day on Saturday but it is still going to be very cold. The winds will be around 10-15 MPH on Saturday and come out of the west. This will again make it feel as low as -10° early Christmas Eve morning. Highs on Christmas Eve (Saturday) will be in the low 20s and we will fall down to around 10° for Christmas morning (Sunday). Highs on Sunday will make it back up to the mid to upper 20s and Sunday night low will drop down to the low teens. We should see mostly sunny skies this weekend but it is still going to be very cold. Please protect the 4 Ps (People, Pipes, Pets and Plants) from this system. This is a life threatening system if you get caught or stuck outside for an extended period of time, please be safe and bring the pets in.

MONDAY:

Snow showers will return for Monday morning as another system blows in from the northwest. This system will be much weaker than the one we just experienced but could give some minor accumulations by Monday evening. Well see daytime highs on Monday to around 35 but the temperatures will fall back into the lower 20s by the late evening Monday keeping some slick spots around Monday evening and Monday night.

WARMER WEATHER NEXT WEEK:

A nice warming trend will kick in next week following Monday’s next event. Well go up to around 50 mid week and to around 60 to 65 late next week with a few rain showers entering the picture for Friday into Saturday of next week.

FINAL THOUGHT:

All locations have already topped their monthly rain averages during the first two weeks of the month across West Tennessee. We will get a break from the rain late this week but that will usher in another round of cold weather that could be sticking around into the Christmas holiday. Don’t give up on a white Christmas this year as short term forecast models are still suggesting snow that could linger around through the holiday. You need to stay weather aware to changing weather patterns and monitor the forecasts closely. We got you covered in the WBBJ 7 Storm Team Weather Center as always.

For tips on preparing for the storms, click here. To download the WBBJ 7 Weather app, click here.

Brian Davis