It looks like there will be a very active frontal passage in the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US from later Thursday night into early Friday. Temperatures will surge on Thursday ahead of the strong cold front and showers will become numerous by Thursday night. In fact, some of the rain can briefly fall on the heavy side later Thursday night into early Friday and there can be a thunderstorm or two mixed into the picture. Of more concern, however, is the likelihood for powerful winds from later Thursday night into early Friday and there can be potentially damaging wind gusts (i.e., power outages are on the table); especially, near and along the eastern seaboard from Virginia-to-Maine.
Read More
After a mild start to the weekend, a pair of cold frontal passages ushered in much colder air to the Mid-Atlantic region that will stick around into Tuesday. Precipitation broke out late last night along the frontal boundary zone and changed to all snow before sunrise in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor as Arctic air filtered into the region. Snow will continue at varying rates for awhile longer today – likely into mid-day or early afternoon - aided in large part by a strong upper-level jet streak and mid-level frontogenesis. There can be additional accumulations of a couple of inches on untreated surfaces. Temperatures will hold in the low-to-mid 30’s and then drop into the teens during the overnight hours and they’ll remain well below-normal on Monday and Monday night. After a cold day on Tuesday and a milder Wednesday, very active weather will come to the area later Thursday and Thursday night possibly to include heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms along with a dramatic, but brief spike in temperatures.
Read More
The day started off quite mild in the Mid-Atlantic region, but the passage of a pair of cold frontal systems will bring about big changes in the overall temperature pattern for the next few days. Temperatures will likely peak by early afternoon and then drop slowly later this afternoon as an Arctic air mass begins to filter into the region following the passage of these two cold fronts. An upper-level trough of low pressure will then dig into the eastern US tonight and low pressure - aided by a strong jet streak aloft - will form along the Arctic frontal boundary zone. Precipitation will break out later tonight in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor and Sunday morning is quite likely to feature accumulating snow throughout the region which can last into the mid-day hours in most areas. Very cold conditions will follow on Sunday night, Monday, and Monday night with Valentine’s Day high temperatures generally confined to the 20’s - well below-normal for mid-February. The Arctic chill will disappear at mid-week and then it turns much milder on Thursday, but that warm up looks brief and it may be accompanied by some heavy rainfall with the arrival of the next strong cold front.
Read More
It stays mild in the Mid-Atlantic region into the beginning of the weekend, but an Arctic front will slide through the area on Saturday and its passage will bring about much colder conditions for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Low pressure is going to form along the Arctic frontal boundary zone by tomorrow night and this system should generate accumulating snow in the Mid-Atlantic region from late Saturday night into Sunday likely on the order of a coating to a few inches in most spots. The core of the Arctic air mass will move overhead by Monday and temperatures on Valentine’s Day will be way below-normal for the middle of February. The Arctic chill wanes by mid-week and then signs point to a big time warm-up by late next week although it is likely to be accompanied by some rain by week’s end.
Read More
It stays mild in the Mid-Atlantic region into the beginning of the upcoming weekend, but an Arctic front will reach the area on Saturday and its passage will bring about much colder conditions for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Low pressure is likely to form along the Arctic frontal boundary zone by Saturday night and this system could generate some accumulating snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic region from late Saturday night into Sunday. The core of the Arctic blast will move into the region on Monday with temperatures on Valentine’s Day likely to be way below-normal for the middle of February. The Arctic chill wanes by mid-week and then signs point to a big time warm-up by late next week.
Read More
The next few days will be relatively quiet in the Mid-Atlantic region and somewhat milder than recent days. There will be a couple of weak frontal systems to deal with during the next couple of nights, but, in general, high pressure will be the main player as we head into the weekend. It is at this time, the overall pattern becomes much more active. After a mild beginning to the weekend, an Arctic cold front will head into the eastern states from northwest-to-southeast and it will tend to slow down upon its arrival. Snow could actually break out along the slowing-down frontal boundary zone in the Mid-Atlantic region as we head into the second half of the weekend and low pressure will try to intensify off the east coast. A situation that needs to be closely monitored in coming days.
Read More
Weak low pressure is currently located over the Carolina coastline and it will intensify over the next 6-12 hours as it pushes northeastward. A batch of precipitation well in advance of the low pressure system broke out earlier today in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor resulting in some patchy freezing drizzle and light snow in spots. A second and more widespread batch of precipitation is now headed northeastward as the low intensifies and it will arrive later today in the same DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor with enough residual cold air around to allow for the likelihood of some snow and/or sleet. The threat for some snow, ice and/or rain will continue into the latter part of the evening and small snow/ice accumulations are quite possible; especially, in suburban locations to the north and west of the big cities. Watch out for icy patches on the roads early Tuesday morning as temperatures should be at or below freezing.
Read More
Quite a muddy mess in the Mid-Atlantic region today with occasional rain, snowmelt, and some patchy fog as well - all out ahead of a slow-moving Arctic cold frontal system that has wreaked havoc on much of the heartland during the past couple of days with snow, ice and rain. That cold front will inch its way across the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor tomorrow morning and an Arctic air mass will filter into the region from the northwest-to-southeast. After a very mild start early in the day along the immediate I-95 corridor, temperatures will fall throughout the remainder of Friday following the passage of the Arctic front. As a result, any plain rain that is falling early tomorrow can begin to freeze on some untreated surfaces by mid-day or early afternoon across suburban locations to the north and west. The rain can also mix with or change to sleet and/or snow for a brief time later in the day on Friday. It does appear that the icing potential in this case will be rather limited in nature around here as drier air will tend to inhibit any appreciable amounts of precipitation while we are on the cold side of the front. Temperatures are likely to continue to drop tomorrow night which can lead to a quick freeze-up of any standing water that still remains.
Read More
Phil saw his shadow this morning in upstate Pennsylvania signaling there will be 6 more weeks of winter which is probably the right forecast as it looks now. At the very least, it is looking quite wintry going into the middle of the month for much of the central and eastern US as additional cold air outbreaks are quite likely and there should be other storm threats as well. A slow-moving Arctic frontal system is the focus of attention today across the nation’s heartland as it is being accompanied by a little bit of ice in some spots and a lot of snow in other areas.
After a mild and wet Thursday and Thursday night in the Mid-Atlantic, this slow-moving cold front will inch its way across the region early Friday morning and cold, dense low-level Arctic air will filter in from northwest-to-southeast. As a result, any plain rain that is falling early Friday can begin to freeze on some surfaces in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor potentially leading to an icy mess; especially, in some of the suburbs to the north and west. Later Friday, the precipitation can change from freezing rain to sleet and then perhaps for a brief time to all snow before winding down early Friday night. Temperatures are likely to drop sharply on Friday night so any roads that remain wet can quickly “freeze-up” - including in those areas along coastal New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula where temperatures may not drop to freezing until early Friday night.
Read More
Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day and if I could provide some advice to my fellow Pennsylvania prognosticator, it would be to lean towards the prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. At least it is looking quite wintry for the next few weeks in much of the central and eastern US as cold air outbreaks will continue and there are likely to be multiple storm threats on the table. The next few days will feature a slow-moving Arctic cold frontal system across the nation’s heartland that will be the focus area for all kinds of precipitation. There will be rain and thunderstorms on the warm side of the front (southeast) and ice and snow on its cold side (northwest). In fact, the ice and snow will impact a large region of the country extending from the Southwest US to the Northeast US before the week is done with some regions likely to experience substantial snowfall and other areas to suffer with some serious icing.
In the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US, Thursday will start off as a relatively mild day with some rainfall, but interior sections may begin to see a changeover to ice and/or snow later in the day as low-level Arctic air filters in. Sometime on Friday the rain can change to ice and/or snow in the immediate I-95 corridor with the arrival of the Arctic air and by Friday night, temperatures could be dropping rather sharply - potentially setting the stage for a quick “freeze-up”. Looking ahead and this is still in the speculation phase, another storm system is likely to develop near the Southeast US coastline early this weekend and it could result in some snow/ice in the Mid-Atlantic/NE US during the Sunday/Monday time frame.
Read More
