Monday.....

Back in the saddle this morning after resting up a bit over the weekend. LONG work week last week.

Ike: Ike is over Cuba today, and Cuba will take a significant toll on the system. I think Ike will likely be a tropical storm when it finally emerges off of Cuba and heads into the Gulf. If the inner core of the system is severely disrupted, it will likely take it 36-48 hours to get to a point where it can strengthen again. However, the environmental and ocean conditions in the Gulf look favorable for strengthening, and I think Ike stands a good chance of being a significant hurricane as it approaches the Gulf coast.

Anyone from the Florida Peninsula to the Texas coast needs to closely monitor Ike. Right now, the model consensus favors a landfall on either the upper Texas or Louisiana coastline next weekend.

Our weather: Warm today with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s. A few PM showers or storms look possible.

Tomorrow, a cold front will approach, and I expect a better coverage of showers and storms.

Behind that front, high pressure will wedge down the eastern side of the mountains Wednesday and Thursday. Because of the wedge, I expect highs only in the 70s Wednesday and Thursday with a good deal of clouds and some showers from time to time.

Sports: What a win for the Panthers yesterday. Good stuff. And, Mississippi State looked better with a 34-10 win over SE Louisiana Saturday evening. Up next, Auburn in Starkville for an ESPN 2 game.