Will South Mississippi get a cold snap after mild New Year’s? Here’s the forecast

Mild holiday weather could soon cool into a cold snap forecasters say may grip the South with freezing weather in the early days of the New Year.

The forecast more than a week out is uncertain, and forecasters said much can change. Early signs suggest a mild and slightly foggy New Year’s holiday that starts to cool by January 9 through 11.

New Year’s forecast

Dense fog will cover the Mississippi Coast again Monday night, and the high New Year’s Eve is 70 degrees. Temperatures on Tuesday will cool fast after sunset to near 40 degrees at midnight, said Danielle Manning, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell.

But the fog will clear by Tuesday night. “Fog shouldn’t be an issue for fireworks,” Manning said.

New Year’s Day lows will fall between 38 and 41 degrees, and Manning said highs will probably be in the low 60s.

Forecasters watching for chance of cold snap

A cool front will cover the Deep South New Year’s morning, Manning said.

She said there was some chance of what forecasters consider an “arctic outbreak” in the second weekend of January. But it is too soon to tell how cold it might get and Manning said the forecast can change fast.

“We’re watching the potential for some very cold temperatures,” she said.