This week, believe it or not, will be slightly below average and sunny! For some, it will be a nice change of pace from the unseasonably warm winter. 

If you have plans to fly into the Northeastern United States Monday through Wednesday, check with your air carrier. Major delays and many cancellations are anticipated as a historic March snowstorm brings feet of snow and tropical storm force winds to the metropolitan areas from Washington D.C. to Boston.

THE FORECAST:

Today and Tonight: Your Monday will be mostly cloudy and cool with highs in the mid 60s. A light shower possible this afternoon and evening as a reinforcing cold front slides by the area. Some locations will miss the rain and anything that does fall will be very light. Tonight will be mostly clear with lows in the low 40s. 

Up Next: The sun becomes much more prevalent tomorrow and right through the end of the week. Right now, it looks like we will stay out of the 70s until at least St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps even better news is that the Wearin' of the Green forecast for Saturday, at this point in time, looks dry and comfortable. It is possible that a front could pass the area on Saturday Night to bring some more dry air into play, but right now it doesn't look like showers form as a result.

THE SCIENCE: As a low pressure system moves south of the area while a cold front approaches from the north, it looks as though showers may be a bit more widespread than previously thought. Rain coverage is expected to be in the 30 to 40 percent range. The most likely time period for a shower to form would be in the afternoon hours. The cold front will slip through overnight, with a colder air mass moving in behind it. This will bring some rather cool overnight temperatures to the area Tuesday through Thursday. The coldest night is expected to be Wednesday Night with some typically cool spots north of Baton Rouge possible finding the upper 30s. We can’t entirely rule out a brief light freeze in Southwest Mississippi but it does look unlikely at this point; but there is a better chance for some widespread frost. Cooler than average temperatures will last through Thursday before a gradual warming trend begins. Only a few clouds are expected leading into next weekend as mild temperatures return. And it now looks like the next cold front Saturday Night might miss the area to the northeast.

--Josh