An Arctic air mass is headed to the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US for the weekend with its origins on the Siberian side of the North Pole. This Arctic blast will be directly discharged to us from eastern Canada as compared with the more conventional “northwest-to-southeast” route that travels over the Great Lakes. The cold front at the leading edge of this bitter cold air mass will be quite active with strong support in the upper part of the atmosphere, likely leading to some accumulating snow on Friday afternoon and evening, and perhaps a few snow squalls will mix into the picture. In addition to the bitter cold, biting and potentially damaging winds will become a major factor on both weekend days with gusts of 50+ mph producing dangerously low wind chill levels of well below zero in many locations.
Read More
Temperatures climbed above freezing on Tuesday for the first time in awhile in many spots and this allowed for some melting of the “snowcrete” that has been stuck in place in recent days. Yesterday’s “warmup” is the good news…the bad news is that much colder air returns by tonight and we’re headed for a bitter cold weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region. The next weather system of note will be a strong Arctic cold front that arrives later in the day on Friday and it can produce some snow during the afternoon and evening hours…perhaps even a snow squall. The passage of the late week Arctic front will result in a direct discharge of Arctic air from eastern Canada and temperatures are likely to be confined to the mid-to-upper teens for afternoon highs. In addition, the winds will be powerful on both Saturday and Sunday as the result of a very tight pressure gradient across the northeastern states and wind chill levels will be below zero at times. Another clipper system will drop southeast on Sunday from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and it can produce snow showers in parts of the area.
Read More
Weak low pressure will head in this direction today and it can produce some snow around here tonight with small accumulations on the table of a coating to an inch. The next weather system of note will be a strong Arctic cold front that arrives at the end of the week and it can produce some snow in the Mid-Atlantic region during the afternoon and evening hours on Friday. The passage of the late week Arctic front will result in a bitter cold weekend in the Philly metro region with temperatures likely to be confined to the teens for afternoon highs on both Saturday and Sunday. In addition, the winds will be powerful on both days as the result of a tight pressure gradient across the northeastern states and the combination of the bitter cold and strong winds will produce dangerously low wind chill values. Looking ahead, it does appear that, for the first time in awhile, milder weather might just make it all the way into the northeastern states by the second half of next week.
Read More
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning suggesting there will be six more weeks of winter, and I certainly have faith in all Pennsylvania prognosticators. One thing is for sure...the next 7 days will feature more in the way of well below-normal temperatures, and the upcoming weekend will be bitterly cold across the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US with a direct discharge of Arctic air from eastern Canada. The Arctic front at the leading edge of this brutally cold air mass can produce snow showers and squalls on Friday, and powerful winds will add to the misery on both weekend days. The big cities from DC-to-Boston will likely experience single digit lows once again during the weekend and wind chills will be at dangerously low levels on both days.
Read More
It remains quite cold around here today and it will for the rest of the week and then intensely cold air is destined to arrive for the upcoming weekend. The pattern becomes somewhat active as well with a couple chances of snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. Weak low pressure will push across the area with some snow from Tuesday night into early Wednesday…small accumulations are likely on the order of a coating to an inch or two. Later in the week, a strong clipper system and its associated cold front can bring snow showers to the area later Friday…perhaps even a snow squall. That clipper system will usher in another brutally cold Arctic air mass to the Mid-Atlantic region for the first full weekend of February with strong winds adding to the misery.
Read More
It remains brutally cold around here today with temperatures struggling to make it past the middle teens for afternoon highs and overnight lows will fall to near zero in many areas. In fact, this could set a record for the lowest high temperature ever recorded on this date besting the record of 18 degrees set in 1965 at Philly Airport. The bitter cold conditions continue through the weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region and will extend all the way down to southern Florida where Sunday morning temperatures could be near freezing in Miami. In addition to the continuing cold, a big weather story will be the explosive cyclogenesis that’ll take place as the central pressure of a low-pressure system drops dramatically between later Saturday and early Sunday. Low pressure will move near the Carolina coastline by later Saturday and then it’ll get juiced up by the phasing of a northern stream wave of energy and a southern wave. The biggest impact from this weekend storm will likely be across southern Virginia, the Carolinas, and eastern New England can get hit hard as well...all locations with snow and strong winds. The Philly metro region will not go completely unscathed as winds will pick up noticeably from later Saturday into Sunday and there can be some snow across far eastern sections.
Read More
The bitter cold weather pattern continues across the eastern states during the next few days with significant impacts reaching all the way down to southern Florida. In fact, the temperature will drop to near freezing in Miami by Sunday morning and zero-degree overnight lows are on the table during the next couple of nights in the Mid-Atlantic’s I-95 corridor. In addition to the cold, there will be explosive cyclogenesis this weekend near the east coast with biggest impacts from storm system likely to be across portions of Virginia, the Carolinas, and eastern New England as well. The I-95 region from DC-to-Philly-to-NYC will not go unscathed with a noticeable increase in winds from later Saturday into Sunday and there can be some snow with small accumulations on the table.
Read More
It remains brutally cold around here for the next couple of days with afternoon high temperatures generally confined to the teens and overnight lows flirting with the zero-degree mark in many locations. The record low temperature at Philly Airport (PHL) for Friday, January 30th, is 7 degrees…definitely in jeopardy. As far as the weekend storm is concerned, low pressure will develop near the Carolina coastline by later Saturday and then intensify dramatically as it moves to the northeast later in the weekend. The biggest impact from this weekend storm will be across southern Virginia, North Carolina, and likely across eastern New England as well. Around here, the winds will become a noticeable factor this weekend and there is the chance for some snow from later Saturday into Saturday night…accumulations cannot be ruled out.
Read More
The next few days will produce some of the worst of the cold for the Mid-Atlantic region with overnight lows way down in single digits or even near the zero-degree mark. Some record low temperatures are likely during this 3-day bitter cold spell and there can be some record low high temperatures as well with afternoon highs generally confined to the teens in many spots. Later this weekend, a big push of Arctic will be into the Southeast US and Florida can experience near freezing temperatures all the way to Miami by Sunday morning (watch for falling iguanas).
On the storm front, low pressure will develop near the Southeast US coastline on Saturday and then dramatically intensify as it moves over the western Atlantic Ocean somewhere to the east of the southern Mid-Atlantic region. The central pressure of this weekend storm could drop to similar levels as a category 2 or even category 3 hurricane and winds will become quite powerful. At this point, it appears the biggest impact from the weekend storm system will be confined to places like eastern North Carolina, southern Virginia, and the along coastal sections farther up the coast (e.g., New Jersey, Delmarva)…still a few days to go so stay tuned.
Read More
The next few days will feature some of the coldest weather ever seen around here with overnight lows on Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night likely flirting with the zero degree mark in many spots. The last time Philly Airport (PHL) officially recorded a below zero temperature was in January of 1994. This 3-day bitter cold spell will likely produce some record low temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as some record low high temperatures, and wind chills will be persistently below zero.
In addition to the bitter cold, there is the chance of an impact here this weekend by what looks like will become a powerful storm system somewhere near the eastern seaboard. This system will undergo dramatic intensification as it moves from the Outer Banks region to the western Atlantic Ocean and questions remain as to its ultimate path. The closer it comes to the coast, the bigger the impact in the I-95 corridor…the best chance for significant impacts as it stands right now will be along coastal sections of New Jersey/Delmarva Peninsula…stay tuned.
Read More
