textproduct: Jackson

KEY MESSAGES

- Periods of cold weather with mostly dry conditions can be expected through early next week.

- Monitor the forecast for late next week as a couple of weather systems will be possible followed by the potential for colder air.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 341 AM CST Sat Jan 17 2026

Today through tonight: Conditions will remain breezy and turn colder behind the front as we go through today into tonight. Some areas, especially the northern half of our area will see sun during the day, though clouds will be peskier for locations farther south. Forecast confidence remains high in a drier/more eastward solution with a secondary wave Saturday afternoon and evening, and at this stage, the chance for measurable rain is increasingly limited to coastal MS, though we can't entirely rule out stray nonimpactful sprinkles or flurries mainly along the I-59 corridor. What we will experience is blustery conditions in increasing cold advection Saturday night with wind chills falling into the teens and 20s and temps falling to the 20s by Sunday morning.

Sunday through Tuesday: Cold and dry will be the main theme over the first part of next week. Beyond this weekend's front there will be a reinforcing front on Monday sustaining the colder, drier airmass. Days will be chilly with highs mainly in the 40s and 50s with wind chills lingering in the 30s in many areas especially on Sunday. During the overnights and mornings, a widespread freeze is expected with a hard freeze possible. Monday night into Tuesday morning looks to be our coldest time frame with temps in the teens possible across parts of AR and north MS. Fortunately wind is expected to be light during this time frame, limiting the added impact to apparent temps. Some areas may approach Cold Weather Advisory criteria, but given this appears to be a marginal case and with temps recovering during the day, there are no imminent plans to highlight the cold weather threat.

Wednesday through Friday: Over the latter half of the week, forecast confidence decreases as model solutions diverge and fluctuate run to run with the handling of an active upper trough and tight baroclinic zone. A strong north-south temperature gradient is showing up in most guidance solutions over the Deep South, and a couple of frontal wave precip events will be possible, so this could create many forecast challenges during this time frame. /DL/EC/

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1125 AM CST Sat Jan 17 2026

VFR conditions with northwest winds of 10-15 kts with higher gusts will prevail through the period./KP/

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Jackson 25 44 28 52 / 0 0 0 0 Meridian 24 44 26 53 / 0 0 0 0 Vicksburg 24 45 28 52 / 0 0 0 0 Hattiesburg 30 50 28 59 / 10 0 0 0 Natchez 26 47 29 56 / 0 0 0 0 Greenville 23 42 28 45 / 0 0 0 0 Greenwood 21 41 26 46 / 0 0 0 0

JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MS...None. LA...None. AR...None.