7:00 AM | A cool weekend with occasional rain on Saturday and sunshine on Sunday; an update on the recent solar activity
Paul Dorian
6-Day Forecast
Today
Mostly sunny, cooler and less humid, highs in the mid 70’s
Tonight
Mostly clear this evening and then becoming mostly cloudy late, cool, maybe a shower towards morning, lows in the upper 50’s
Saturday
Mostly cloudy, cool with occasional rain, near 70
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, quite cool, still the chance for showers during the evening hours, upper 50’s
Sunday
Mostly sunny, cool, low 70’s
Monday
Partly sunny, cool, chance for showers at night, low 70’s
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, low 70’s
Wednesday
Mainly sunny, still cool, low 70’s
Discussion
A strong cool front passed through the region late yesterday ushering in a chilly air mass for this time of year that had its origins in western Canada. As a result, the Mid-Atlantic region will feature below normal temperatures not only through the weekend, but also through the early and middle parts of next week. This early season Canadian cold air outbreak has had its biggest impact relative-to-normal across the northern Plains and northern Rockies where snow has accompanied the plunge in temperatures. Some spots such as in Rapid City, South Dakota have seen their earliest snowfall on record and nearly a foot of snow has fallen in higher elevation localities across the northern Rockies. High pressure centered over the middle of the country this morning will extend into the Northeast US protecting us from any rainfall, but a disturbance to our southwest will produce occasional rain around here on Saturday. The combination of the entrenched chilly air mass and thick clouds on Saturday will make it a struggle for temperatures to pass the 70 degree mark - way below the seasonal norms for this time of year. While some sunshine will return on Sunday and Monday, temperatures will stay at below normal levels as mid-September approaches.
An update on the recent solar activity...the first of two CMEs expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 12th has indeed arrived, and a minor (G1-class) geomagnetic storm is underway as a result of the impact. The second and potentially more powerful CME is still en route. NOAA forecasters say geomagnetic storming could become strong (G3-class) during the late hours of Sept. 12th and Sept 13th after the second CME arrives.
Video
httpv://youtu.be/q0OO__XT__0