Today there were over two and a half dozen tornado reports from the Midwest down to the Gulf Coast states, causing numerous amounts of damage.   Unfortunately there where fatalities and injuries reported as these fast moving storms swept through the area.  Below is the radar and velocity loop of two tornadoes around the Jackson, MS area.

Severe weather including over a dozen and a half tornado reports stretch from Eastern Oklahoma through Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. This afternoon there is the potential for more severe weather including tornadoes for the Lower Mississippi Valley as tornado watches are underway.  Below is the current tornado watches as of 2:00 CST.  Click on the image for the most up-to-date watch information.  The New Years Eve forecast for Central Texas are highs in the mid 60′s with sunny skies and a northwest wind 10-15 mph.  Tonight we will have a few clouds with temperatures in the lower 30′s with a northwest wind 5-10 mph. Have a great New Years!

Winter officially begins at 5:38 p.m. CST on Tuesday, but it’s not going to feel like it here in Central Texas with highs in the low 80′s.  The record high at Waco airport on December 21st is 77, so we might break that old record high.  Also early Tuesday morning we will have a total lunar eclipse starting at 12:32 a.m. and ends at 4:02 a.m. CDT.  We will have some high clouds on and off through out the night, so there should be a few opportunities to view the lunar eclipse here in CTX.  The warm temperatures will stick around through early Friday before the front sweeps through.  It will bring the temperatures back down to highs in the low 60′s on Christmas Eve and highs in the low 50′s on Christmas Day. Sorry but no white Christmas here in Central Texas with ground temperatures to warm and no precipitation in the forecast.  Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holidays.