Wow! What an exciting morning it was Saturday (22 January). The temperature here at the Weather Center dropped to -4 degrees! This is the first time we dropped below zero since 5 February 2009. That morning was also a -4 degrees.
Actually January and February of 2009 both had some rather cold days in them. January was the kicker though. Remember the two mornings of January 16th and 17th when the temperature drooped to -14 degrees? Now that was crisp!
Well, nothing like that is in our immediate future, although there is a hint in the models that we could get another really cold push of arctic air in February. Nothing for certain yet, but our friend Joe Bastardi over at AccuWeather is getting all excited. We shall see. Meanwhile, keep the dogs (or your cat) nearby just in case.
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A "Three Dog Night" is on the way
If you love cold winter weather, you'll enjoy the next few weeks. Looks like the coldest air of the winter is heading our way and will likely hang around for a while, nixing our anticipation of a significant January thaw. Looks like that will have to wait until very late this month or sometime in February.
How cold are we talking? Well, I don't see us going above freezing until the last few days of the month at the earliest. Daytime highs through midweek this week will be in the 20s. Next weekend daytime highs will be in the teens. After a few warm nights early this week overnight lows will drop into the teens and single digits for a while. Oye!
Oh, about the dogs...see the story goes that the Eskimos on really cold nights would bring the dogs in to the igloo to sleep with them and keep them warm. So, a three dog night was a very cold night...it took three dogs to keep warm.
I sleep with my cat Bomber and an electric blanket, so I'll be OK. Hope you will be, too.
How cold are we talking? Well, I don't see us going above freezing until the last few days of the month at the earliest. Daytime highs through midweek this week will be in the 20s. Next weekend daytime highs will be in the teens. After a few warm nights early this week overnight lows will drop into the teens and single digits for a while. Oye!
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| Bomber resting comfortably on my electric blanket |
Oh, about the dogs...see the story goes that the Eskimos on really cold nights would bring the dogs in to the igloo to sleep with them and keep them warm. So, a three dog night was a very cold night...it took three dogs to keep warm.
I sleep with my cat Bomber and an electric blanket, so I'll be OK. Hope you will be, too.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Well, it's cold
Yep. Let's start out with the obvious. Arctic air has moved into Ohio. It's going to remain here for awhile...like the next two weeks. Then as we get to the end of the month, the arctic blast will move north and warmer air will push into the region.
Our normal high for the next few weeks is in the low 30s. This is what is commonly referred to as "the dead of winter." We will be well below that normal high this coming week (January 9-16), then we'll probably start to bounce around again the week after that. I foresee some pretty cold overnights in our future, especially next week when we could hit the single digits. You might need to bring the dog in to sleep with you.
Of note this week will be LOW pressure system moving across the state on Tuesday (see map). This is going to be an interesting storm because as it moves into Ohio it will eventually merge with a storm currently moving across the south. The new storm will then head north dumping snow in New England. As this happens, our winds will shift to the NW kicking in lake effect once again. Looks like we can expect 3-6 inches of snow from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Then later Wednesday into Thursday the lake effect develops. Sounds like a typical January here in the lower Great Lakes.
BTW...as I noted in earlier posts, I'm measuring the rest of the winter against December's cold and snow. While we are going to be cold for a few weeks and get some snow as well, I still don't think we're going to beat December.
Winter sports fans...enjoy!
Our normal high for the next few weeks is in the low 30s. This is what is commonly referred to as "the dead of winter." We will be well below that normal high this coming week (January 9-16), then we'll probably start to bounce around again the week after that. I foresee some pretty cold overnights in our future, especially next week when we could hit the single digits. You might need to bring the dog in to sleep with you.
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| (Map courtesy of www.accuweather.com) |
BTW...as I noted in earlier posts, I'm measuring the rest of the winter against December's cold and snow. While we are going to be cold for a few weeks and get some snow as well, I still don't think we're going to beat December.
Winter sports fans...enjoy!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Welcome to January 2011
Well, here we are...2011. The spring-type weather (warm temperatures and rain) have left us and it's back to normal January type weather. Our normal daytime high for January ranges from 32-34. We will be hanging around that mark for the much of the month. We will have a few warm spurts and a few colder ones, too. But, I suspect the prolonged cold...3 consecutive weeks below freezing...are gone for awhile.
As for snow, there will be some. We're not done yet. In fact, winter is only a few weeks old. With Lake Erie cooling down, the temperature contrast between the water and the air is less and that will dampen Ole Man Winter's lake effect efforts. What we have to watch for, however, will be any storm system moving from the southwest or the Gulf coastal area. If it decides to come up the west side of Appalachians, standby. That could be a scenario for heavy snow in eastern Ohio.
So, basically, I think that after the unusually cold and snowy December we just had (the temperature was 6.6 degrees below normal and well over two feet of snow fell in the northern parts of Portage and Summit counties) January will likely produce a much more normal winter scenario.
Winter sports enthusiasts, enjoy!
As for snow, there will be some. We're not done yet. In fact, winter is only a few weeks old. With Lake Erie cooling down, the temperature contrast between the water and the air is less and that will dampen Ole Man Winter's lake effect efforts. What we have to watch for, however, will be any storm system moving from the southwest or the Gulf coastal area. If it decides to come up the west side of Appalachians, standby. That could be a scenario for heavy snow in eastern Ohio.
So, basically, I think that after the unusually cold and snowy December we just had (the temperature was 6.6 degrees below normal and well over two feet of snow fell in the northern parts of Portage and Summit counties) January will likely produce a much more normal winter scenario.
Winter sports enthusiasts, enjoy!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
A little January thaw
A little January thaw is underway here in the eastern U.S. We finally went above freezing this week for the first time since December 12th. Daytime highs Friday and Saturday will be quite mild...well into the 40s. We may evening hit 50 in some neighborhoods on Saturday. After that, colder air comes in Saturday night and next week we should see temperatures around normal. Our normal highs should be in the lower 30s. Some days will be below that, some a bit above, but generally a bit more normal. Considering that January is the coldest month of the year, I'll take that.
Meanwhile, AccuWeather's Joe Bastardi is starting to talk about a potential cold outbreak (like many degrees below normal) beginning mid-January and continuing for a few weeks. The National Weather Service long range maps don't show that yet. I hope that doesn't happen here in NE Ohio, but we'll keep an eye on it.
Meanwhile, enjoy the "warm"!
Meanwhile, AccuWeather's Joe Bastardi is starting to talk about a potential cold outbreak (like many degrees below normal) beginning mid-January and continuing for a few weeks. The National Weather Service long range maps don't show that yet. I hope that doesn't happen here in NE Ohio, but we'll keep an eye on it.
Meanwhile, enjoy the "warm"!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
After Christmas
Weather here in the lower Great Lakes is going to take a pleasant turn as we get into the days after Christmas. First of all, though, we have to wait for this big east coast storm to exit early in the week. Once is does our winds will shift from the north to a more southerly direction and that will warm things up beginning Tuesday.
My friend Brian, who used to live here in Akron, now lives near Charlotte, NC. It doesn't usually snow down there for Christmas. It is this year. (See his picture at left.) They are picking up several inches of the white stuff this weekend. After dumping snow in North Carolina, that system is going to head up the coast and on Sunday and Monday, blizzard and near blizzard conditions are expected from Philadelphia to Boston. If you plan to travel out that way, check ahead. You really don't want to travel out there until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, back here in NE Ohio, on Tuesday we should get near or slightly above freezing. If we go above 32 degrees it will be for the first time since December 12th. We will remain there (daytime highs) for several days. In fact, a surge of warm air heading into the region will push our daytime highs into the 40s on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. After that our temperatures should bounce around a lot.
Or normal daytime high in early January should be in the lower 30s. January and February are traditionally the coldest months of the year. Last year February was a killer clocking in at nearly 3 degrees below normal. I don't expect that this year. As I mentioned earlier, while we will have some typical winter weather during the next two months, the pit of the winter has already passed. We do look for another surge of cold, however, sometime in March.
Happy Holidays!
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| The beginning of the Christmas snow in North Carolina |
Meanwhile, back here in NE Ohio, on Tuesday we should get near or slightly above freezing. If we go above 32 degrees it will be for the first time since December 12th. We will remain there (daytime highs) for several days. In fact, a surge of warm air heading into the region will push our daytime highs into the 40s on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. After that our temperatures should bounce around a lot.
Or normal daytime high in early January should be in the lower 30s. January and February are traditionally the coldest months of the year. Last year February was a killer clocking in at nearly 3 degrees below normal. I don't expect that this year. As I mentioned earlier, while we will have some typical winter weather during the next two months, the pit of the winter has already passed. We do look for another surge of cold, however, sometime in March.
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 24, 2010
I'm still dreaming of a white Christmas
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| (Snowfall map courtesy of www.accuweather.com) |
I think one of the really neat Christmas treats this year will be snow falling on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You will notice on the map above that lake effect is not shown. Add in the lake effect and you can fill in that brown section of NE Ohio. We won't see too much, but we will pick up an inch or so over the weekend.
That being said, best wishes from my cat Bomber and me for a very Merry Christmas!
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