Record-low temperatures could make Mississippi colder than Alaska

On the heels of a major storm that brought severe weather to portions of the Southeast at the start of the weekend, cold air will quickly move in and send temperatures plummeting to near-record low levels.

A blast of cold air has traveled across much of the United States through the second half of the week, breaking records from Washington State to Oklahoma. Cold air began to tie records on Wednesday when both Olympia, Washington, and Seattle tied record daily low temperatures for the day.

The cold air continued to move to the east, breaking daily record low temperatures in Oregon and Idaho. By Thursday, the cold air had dropped temperatures to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in Laramie, Wyoming, breaking the previous daily low-temperature record by 5 degrees. Denver, Colorado, broke a record low on Thursday morning by 4 degrees, recording an early morning temperature of 7 degrees below zero.

The arctic weather worsened for the Plains on Friday night, sending temperatures in Minneapolis over 20 degrees below normal. The bitter cold then advanced eastward, dropping temperatures 30-40 degrees in just 24 hours for places like Nashville and Pittsburgh from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning.

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The cold air began to rush into the interior Southeast Saturday with temperatures plummeting into the 30s and 40s. During Saturday night, even colder air will arrive.

Bryson City, North Carolina, is forecast to break its record daily low temperature by more than 10 degrees on Sunday, with temperatures expected to drop to 9 degrees. The current record low for Bryson City on March 13 is 22 degrees, set in 2000.

Several other cities are also forecast to break record low temperatures come Sunday morning, including Knoxville and Mobile, Alabama. Even areas in Florida will dip below freezing, including Jacksonville which is forecast to bottom out at 27 degrees.

Tupelo, Mississippi, is forecast to dip down to 20 degrees early Sunday morning, threatening the record daily low of 21 degrees for the city. A temperature of 20 degrees would make Tupelo colder than Anchorage, Alaska, on Sunday morning. Anchorage is expected to drop down to 22 degrees on Sunday morning, which is slightly above average for this time of year.

The cold snap could have damaging consequences in terms of some agriculture in the region. There is the potential for a damaging freeze where blossoming and bud break has occurred with fruit trees. In particular, peach trees in Georgia and South Carolina could be affected Saturday night with temperatures forecast to drop into the 20s.

After dodging heavy rain and delays for the first few rounds of play, PGA golfers at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, will have to contend with Mother Nature again on Sunday morning, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis.

"Even though the rain will be long gone, temperatures at TPC Sawgrass are expected to be around the freezing mark as the sun rises and players tee off," said Travis.

Freezing temperatures have not been a concern at The Players in more than 15 years. The Championship, since coming to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1976, was originally played in March but was moved to May in 2007. In 2019, the tournament was moved back from being played to mid-March.

These low temperatures in the Southeast could cause freezing and frost concerns.

"These frost and freeze concerns extend into central Florida Sunday morning and could cause some issues for the Florida citrus crops. Certainly, anyone who has plants or their own gardens will want to take precautions to protect their plants," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller.

But the cold air won't last long with temperatures expecting to be back to near-normal by Monday, according to Miller. Some cities that experienced record cold on Sunday will quickly whiplash back into higher temperatures within 24 hours.

"The cold shot is going to be a quick one, with very cold low temperatures Saturday night into Sunday a.m., then Sunday afternoon temperatures should be a good 10-15 degrees warmer, and already closer to normal by Monday," Miller said.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will experience a temperature increase of more than 40 degrees from Sunday morning into Monday afternoon. The city is forecast to bottom out at 27 degrees before rebounding to 71 degrees on Monday.

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