3/2/2000 Message of the Day
Christopher Duvall
Rutgers University Meteorologist

Precipitation-

Howdy!  The Low in the New England area Wed. night should move out of
the U.S. entirely by Thursday morning.  The snow showers enhanced by the
Great Lakes Wed. evening should taper off by Thursday morning.

If it is a clear day, you may want to check the visible satellite for snow
cover around the northern U.S. and mountainous areas.  It should look like
clouds, but it won't move except to melt from roughly the edges inward,
and it won't appear on large bodies of water such as lakes or wide rivers.

Northern Florida may experience dense fog over a wide area Thursday
morning.  There should be a front of some kind around the Florida/Georgia
border.  Look for a difference in temperature and dewpoint along a common
line- that should be the front.

Challenge questions:

Where is the front in relation to the fog?  If there is not a front, why
does the fog stop where it does?  What's the difference between the clear
area and the foggy area, in terms of the weather?
Was there fog in the morning near the Low in New Mexico/Texas? Why or why
not?
Where is the moist air coming from that is producing the Florida fog and
the wet weather around Oklahoma?
Why are there *not* going to be a lot of severe thunderstorms with hail
and tornadoes today?

The northern Rocky Mtn. area may also be clear enough to see the
snow-capped mountains, but the Low near the northern New Mexico/Texas
panhandle area Thursday morning is expected to cause lots of clouds and
snow for southern Colorado and northern Kansas.  The most significant area
of clouds and rain for Thursday in the U.S. will begin in Kansas, Oklahoma
and North Texas and move east. 

Nebraska will see a lot of clouds, but not as much rain or snow Thursday
as other areas to the south.  As the Low around northeast New Mexico moves
to the east, this area of snow and rain will move with it, threatening a
wide area including Missouri, Arkansas, Tennesee, Illinois, and Kentucky
depending upon its exact path.

Most of California will also see a lot of clouds, but the Low entering
California from the Pacific Ocean is moving quickly and weaker than
average, so don't expect to see it raining for very long in any one spot.

Temperatures-

Temperatures will not rise very much underneath all of the clouds in the
middle of the U.S. and California today, but aside from the fog in
northern Florida everyone else should see some sunshine that will warm up
the air at the ground during the afternoon- especially around the Gulf
Coast.

The next significant chance for rain and snow moving across the U.S. may
arrive in California by the end of the weekend.

Hope this helps!  Please let me know if you have any questions...

CD
3/2/2000