Solar cycle 25 has potentially passed through its maximum phase during the latter part of 2025 (don’t really know for sure until after the fact), but it continues to be very active time with lots of sunspot activity in recent weeks. One particular sunspot region known officially as AR4366 has grown rapidly in recent days and it has become the most active sunspot of solar cycle 25. This sunspot region is now more than ten times wider than Earth and is moving into a position that more directly faces our planet. The rapid growth of AR4366 has made the sunspot region unstable and it has indeed unleashed dozens of solar flares during the past few days. More explosions are quite likely and - given its movement in the near-term - all eyes are closely monitoring the situation.
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Weak low pressure will head in this direction today and it can produce some snow around here by later in the day and 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 DC metro region with temperatures likely to be confined to the middle 20’s 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 much lower 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.
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The coolest day of the week is likely to take place on Wednesday and that will be followed by much milder weather for the second half of the week. In fact, temperatures from Thursday through Sunday should climb all the way into the 60’s for afternoon highs in the Dem=never metro region.
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There will be an increasing chance for showers today as weak low pressure moves in this direction from the middle of the country, but the remainder of the week should be rain-free across the Tennessee Valley. In fact, the dry weather pattern setting up at mid-week can last all the way into the early part of next week and it will be accompanied by mild conditions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
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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.
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Weak low pressure will head in this direction today and it can produce some snow in the southern Mid-Atlantic by tonight, but probably not this far to the north. The next weather system of note will be a strong Arctic cold front that arrives later Friday 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 NYC metro region with temperatures likely to be confined to the teens for afternoon highs. In addition, the winds will be powerful on both weekend 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 much lower 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.
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It was a little past 1 AM on February 3rd, 1959 when American musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa along with pilot Roger Peterson. Weather conditions were certainly contributing factors in the plane crash as there was poor visibility on that cold night with snow blowing across the runway. Hours before, Holly and his tour mates were on the eleventh night of their “Winter Dance Party” tour through the snow-covered Midwest. It was a Monday and a school night, but 1,100 teenagers crammed into the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa for two sold out shows with the second one ending around midnight. The event later became known as “The Day the Music Died” after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song “American Pie” which paid homage to the tragedy of February 3rd, 1959.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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