Southern Storm

Normally the biggest snow storms we get in the Mid-Atlantic “come up from the south” in the sense that low pressure rides up along the Gulf and taps into moisture to enhance the amount of snow we receive.  This storm is different because it was pushed farther to the south by the Polar jet  and spread more snow and ice farther south than we usually see. The worst of it so far seems to be in the Atlanta area where snow started in the middle of the day and sent workers scurrying to their cars to make it home early.  The only problem is that everyone seemed to have the same idea at the same time and resulted in a major gridlock on the roads. What few snow plows or salt equipment that was available could not get through to make a dent in the falling precip.  It’s a problem when you have this type of weather that is not endemic to the area in which you live.  The storm is making it’s way farther to the east and is expected to make an impact on South Carolina up through eastern North Carolina and the Tidewater region of Virginia. It should continue to cause havoc through tomorrow afternoon but by Thursday higher temps and sunshine should make this snowfall a distant memory.  Looks like the overall weather pattern is finally beginning to change as the high pressure dome off the Pacific is finally starting to break down.  That means warmer weather for the Midwest and East and finally a chance for rain in the West.  That will provide a break for all but don’t get too comfy, another wave of precip will enter the picture next week and a degree or two on the thermometer could be all it takes for more winter weather.

 

 

 

Jet Stream Roller Coaster

By now everyone is wondering when this cold spell is going to end for the majority of the country.  But there is a section of the U.S. that is wondering what happened to their winter rain. The West coast is warm and dry while the rest of the country in buried in a cold, snowy blanket.  Well, we can just blame the jet stream.  It’s that fast moving layer of air that drives cold air to the north and warm air to the south.  The northern branch of the jet stream is being pushed south by a high pressure ridge out in the Pacific.  That allows low pressure to sink down over the ridge and plunge into the Midwest and South.  It’s kind of like a roller coaster but instead of tracks, this coaster rides on rubberized rails that buckle up and down with the presence of high and low pressure areas. For right now we anticipate yet another buckle south next week ushered in by yet another Alberta Clipper system. ( Please Canada, keep the rest of these clippers up there with you where they belong! )  Until something happens to dislodge the  high and low pressure systems from their current positions nothing much will change.  Stay tuned to the groundhog on the 2nd.  He may have as much a handle on this weather as anybody.

Return of the Vortex

Today will be the calm before the storm as yet another Alberta Clipper is headed our way tomorrow.  This one will bring better than average snow chances for the East Coast as low pressure will try to form out in the Atlantic and throw moisture inland.  There will be plenty of cold weather in place when precip does start to fall.  The dreaded Polar Vortex is set to make yet another trip south on the heels of the Clipper.  This round of chill doesn’t look to be as bad as the last with lows in the low teens rather than the single digits.  But it is set to last through the end of the week which could cause a lot of the same problems as we saw last time.  Will this be the end of the protruding Vortex or will it take another stab at the lower 48?  We’ve got two more weeks of January, then the month of weather toss-ups we call February.  At one point it looked as if we might be in for another extreme cool down next week, but now that seems less likely.  One thing we haven’t seen yet is the chance for a big, honkin’ snowstorm in the Mid-Atlantic.  What do you think our chances are?

Canadian Clippers

A frequent visitor to the upper Mid-West and Mid-Atlantic is a weather phenomena known as the Alberta Clipper.  These are mini cold fronts that are spun off the huge Polar Vortex we dealt with last week.  The low pressure that accompanies them are smallish in nature and not normally capable of dragging up the Gulf moister needed to produce a lot of precipitation.  We are going to be dealing with a number of them in the next week or so.  Each one will introduce colder air along with the possibility of some light snow showers.  Most of this will affect the mountainous regions; the ones who normally get snow when others don’t (you know who you are!) Other than that, not many snow chances abound for the next week or so for this part of the world.  Snow lovers will have to wait a little longer, but take heart, February tops this region as the snowiest month.

Swirling Around the Polar Vortex

Most of the central and southern US spent the last few days in the deep freeze thanks to a push of frigid air that’s been dubbed the ‘polar vortex’.  It’s really a deep low pressure system that forms in the Arctic and usually confines it’s swirl to the upper Canadian and Siberian areas.  Occasionally, though, it will break loose and tumble south for a brief stay.  There has been much talk about this phenomena; so much so that weatherman Al Roker felt compelled to defend himself on the Today show today for using the term at all.  He proceeded to display one of his old college meteorology textbooks that offered a definition of the term and he offered $1000 to charity if someone could prove he invoked global warming or climate change in reference to the vortex.  The insurgence of extreme cold is rare but not really abnormal.  Those of us who have been around a few decades have seen it happen more than once.  This is, however, the first time it’s happened since the outbreak of social media.  If you will, just think of social media as the low pressure spinning around and around and pulling more air (in this case a lot of hot air rather than cold) around it and you get the effect that Twitter and all the other media have on the public. The benefit in this case was to warn the public about dangerously cold weather so everyone could prepare and stay safe.  So let’s keep it all in perspective and give Al Roker a break.