Snow: Could It Be?

I'm still away, but I'm keeping in close contact with the weather forecast for central Mississippi. As I told you in Monday's blog, the computer models were hinting at snow. Well, now it is coming to fruition!

An upper level low pressure system will move in from the south with plenty of moisture to bring. The temperatures have been dropping since the cold front pushed through Tuesday night. This is the classic snowfall set up for central Mississippi. Are you excited? Here is the graphic from the NWS. Look for your county and see how much snow you could be dealing with.

Although temperatures will be hovering above freezing at times, the snow will fall faster than it can melt. This will cause the snow to accumulate in some areas. Temperatures will be rising on Thursday morning, but some bridges and overpasses could be a bit slick (especially those that are in rural areas that don't get much traffic). Please exercise caution over the next 24-36 hours, slow it down on the roadways, and enjoy this December treat from above!

Severe Weather Update

Today's forecast isn't the best. Not much has changed since yesterday's blog entry. The storms look to form along a squall line and this could lead to a significant wind event as the line pushes through. Please don't put anything outside that you won't want to end up in the neighbor's yard! Hail, damaging/gusty winds, isolated tornadoes (especially south of I-20) and heavy rain will be possible. Here is today's graphic from the NWS.



What happens behind the cold front continues to be most interesting. A low pressure area will pass through central Mississippi with some moisture, combined with cold temperatures. Both of these together spell the possibility for snow. When I mentioned it yesterday on WLBT, the phones started ringing off the hook and I was kindly cursed at by those answering the phones: "Why do people go crazy when you mention snow? It's just snow, people!" was heard all over the building. Snow just isn't as frequent this time of year for our state. If this were January or February, this would be a classic set-up for snow. Therefore, my confidence in this happening isn't high right now, but things could change. Timing will be everything, literally, in central Mississippi receiving the white stuff. If so, this would happen Wednesday night through early Thursday. Here is the graphic from the NWS concerning this possibility.

Please be weather aware today and use common sense throughout this severe weather event and what could come afterwards. I'm hoping today's forecast is totally wrong and that I have a busted forecast (can't believe I'm saying that)!

However, I will miss all of this excitement. I'm leaving town today and won't return to the blog until next Monday. Meteorologist Eric Law will be in charge and will keep you all updated on WLBT.

Severe Weather Possible Tuesday

As Mississippians know, we have 2 severe weather seasons: one in the late Spring (April-May) & in the late Fall (Nov-Dec). Some of the worst severe weather we've had has occurred during these months. Tuesday is shaping up to be a day for severe weather.

With a Pacific cold front headed this way, we are expecting plenty of rain. Computer models are showing impressive wind fields and other parameters (I won't bore you with the numbers) which show a possibility for tornadoes. The rain should start entering the state late tonight and continue through Tuesday and Tuesday night. There will be several supercells forming as well. Please keep your NOAA weather radio on throughout the duration of the activity. Here is this morning's graphic from the NWS.

The weather behind this cold front gets even more interesting. With some leftover moisture hanging around and cold air surging in behind the front, we could see some snow. I hesitate to even mention the "s" word because just the thought of it gets people excited and sets people running to the local grocery store. It is a bit early to get snow in Mississippi, but it could definitely happen for Wednesday night and Thursday. Areas with the best chance look to be eastern and southeastern Mississippi. As you know, many things have to be just right in order for this to happen and the forecast can change hourly. I'll have more updates on WLBT tonight and on here Tuesday morning.

Stooping & Scooping

How much confidence do you have today that you have everything you absolutely need to be victorious in every situation that comes your way?

Hebrews 12:15 says to "see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." So what does it mean to come short of God's grace? You've probably heard one definition of God's grace as being 'unmerited favor' or 'God's riches at Christ's expense' and those explanations are right. Grace is God's favor towards those of us who did not earn or deserve it in any way.

I've recently heard another definition of grace: grace is all that Christ is, made available to me. So then if you fall short of God's grace than you fail to appropriate all that God has for you.

Romans 5:2 says, "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

There's the answer! Everything you and I will ever need is made available to us. To fall short then of God's grace is to fail to appropriate that in which we stand. Its just a matter of stopping and stooping down and in faith, scooping it up because you stand with all the grace of God surrounding you. Have you stooped down and scooped up yours today?

Just Like Rudolph, You Have A Light Too!

It is the time of year again for the Christmas specials on television. Last night, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" was on. Gracie and Will sat on the couch and watched Rudolph as I was cooking supper between newscasts. Just then, I heard wailing and crying coming from the living room. I walked in to find Gracie falling to pieces. It seems the part of the show where Rudolph gets teased for his red nose was upsetting Gracie a great deal. With tears streaming down her face, she said "Its just not nice for them to make fun of him!" I told her she needed to keep watching the rest of the show to see the end and that it would end much better than it started. She dried up her tears and after getting some hugs from her daddy and me, she watched the rest of Rudolph. After it was over, she came into the kitchen. It was the perfect time to teach Gracie a striking similarity in the show between Santa and God.

The story of Rudolph is a sweet one and I had always thought it was about the importance of being kind to others and not making fun of someone's unique qualities. But I think there is a deeper meaning there. Santa saw something in Rudolph that others didn't have the capability to see. Because Santa could see that special spark, he chose Rudolph to lead his sleigh.

God has chosen you for a purpose. That purpose is to share His light with others. 1 Peter 2:4 says, "As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious." Matthew 22:14 goes one step further, "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Rudolph had a tiny light on the end of his nose, but that tiny light gave Santa and the rest of his reindeer just enough light to see through the fog and snow to make their annual trip around the world. We all have different sizes of lights to shine. Some people have much bigger lights while others only have lights the size of a nightlight. But a nightlight gives off an important amount of light in the middle of the night.

Don't ever discount the amount of light you have for Him. God knows what your purpose is; that's why He has chosen you!

Putting Life In Gear

While I was driving into work yesterday, I got behind one of those transport trucks that carries new cars and trucks to dealers. The back of the truck probably had 6 new, shiny vehicles on it. All of that potential energy really going no where because they weren't cranked and each one didn't have a driver.

You've probably heard of the statement "the light is on but no one is home". How many people do you know who just go about their daily life and routine with no hope for the future? You can see it on their faces. They just coast through life, living day by day, and their joy is gone. Romans 15:4 says,"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." That's what the Bible is for--to encourage us in our faith in Jesus Christ and to see how deep God's love is for us.

Being just a shell of a person isn't the joy-filled life that God created us to have. The hope we have in Jesus gives us the victory we need to face the day ahead. Don't waste your day letting someone else control your emotions. Take your control back and put joy in gear and not in park!

Feeling Out Of Place?

When I was in the 9th grade, our class was offered a hunters' education & safety course. Because I was born after 1971, I had to take the class in order to get a hunting license and the gun safety aspects of the class would be useful. I was the only girl to sign up for the class and I felt totally out of place. When it came time for the gun safety and targeting shooting portions of the course, some of the guys laughed and said I would "shoot like a girl". But on the range that day, I was the only one to hit the target with the rifle.

While we were visiting my family over the weekend, my husband and I went target shooting. We have never done this before together but have done it separately on several occasions. I placed the muffs on my ears and shot several rounds. He went to check out the targets and each round, I hit the target mark or hit within 2 inches above the target mark. He shook his head and admitted he thought I was going to "shoot like a girl". Now he knows...I don't shoot like a girl at all!

We've all heard the story in the Bible where Jesus feeds the 5,000 people. Although it was quite a miracle to feed that many with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, I believe the real miracle is listed as only one sentence in John 6:9: "Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Jesus "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish." The other part we often miss in this great story is the nameless boy who offered his basket of food to Jesus. If it weren't for that one little boy, the miracle would not have happened on that day. He was surrounded by so many people, probably feeling out of place. So what was it exactly that the boy did? He stepped forward and spoke up. If he would not have told them what he had, I'm sure he would've gotten lost in the crowd of thousands.

I've felt alone in many cases, including when I was the only girl in hunters' ed class. Other times I've felt alone when I've been in a crowd of people engaging in conversation and the topic of religion, God or eternity comes up. If I don't speak up, no one knows what I have to share. It is the same for you. If we don't speak up and share from our heart, nervous as though we may be, no one will know about the hope we have been given; the hope we have to share with others. If we don't, we blend into the crowd and the crowd is left wondering who will step forward? Who will have the guts to talk about God's love for His children no matter who is around listening? For when we do, a much greater miracle could take place right before our eyes!