Once again after another cold Sunday, (last Sunday February 5th), a warming trend set in Monday the 6th, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees again many times last week. We did manage a few snow flakes in there. I saw this dusting on Cape Cod Thursday February 9th.
That Cape Cod dusting of snow was from the northern edge of another system that crossed from The Pacific Ocean, bringing a bit of snow to Texas (again), and then track off the mid Atlantic Wednesday Night. That storm track is usually a set up for cold in New England, but not when Canada is so warm. But a funny thing happened. We actually saw a Greenland Block form last week when a powerful storm that went off Cape Cod Friday February 3rd went to Greenland and snagged some of that severe arctic cold air, pushing it south into Eastern Canada last week. But instead of a direct discharge of cold into the Northeast, the arctic blast sailed from Lake Superior to Mississippi, then lifted northeastward into New England Today, Sunday February 12, too late to feed a storm that we thought would bring plowable snow to eastern New England. Instead, one storm went by Nantucket sans arctic air, as another weaker low, with the pure arctic air crossed Pennsylvania, dropping 14" of snow in Farmington, near Pittsburgh, then out to sea to the south of New England Sunday. We felt that Arctic low go by in the form of Northerly gusts to 45 mph late in the day, as the temperature fell to -22 degrees on Mt.Washington NH with sustained wind of 80 mph. This is the coldest on Mt.Washington so far this winter, beating -17 on January 15th. A cut off cold upper low is swinging across north Maine right now, looks a bit like a wayward polar vortex.
Under that upper low, the wind on Mt.Washington may be 100 mph for Monday sunrise, let me know how the ski lift ride feels. But just as quickly as this Arctic Air has arrived, it is leaving. Have you noticed the coldest weather this winter has always come on a Sunday, with a thaw beginning on Monday? Then a late week storm (usually with rain, until the last two Thurs/Fri storms missed to the south).
Here is the cold temperature map from this Sunday Morning.
Notice the -35 just west of Caribou Sunday am (above). The record low in Caribou for Monday is -22 in 1975, we will come very close (maybe -20 ish, with wind!)
So much for short post.. Once again I am running out of time, before even getting to FAQ.
The track of this Arctic High off the Mid Atlantic means we have short lived cold snap. When highs go off to our south, the wind shifts to southwest, and a thaw commences. But by hook or crook the models are trying to build a (weak & not so cold) high to our north by Thursday. This may be just enough for the system bringing SNOW to CALIFORNIA tonight (finally), to give us some ski country snow by Friday. As for the Texas snow and ice storm tonight, that will behave like last Thursday am snow on Cape, a close miss as the low pressure weakens, then jumps out to Sea to our south weds am, before strengthening and turning north Weds Night (that must be where the High to our north may form, on it's backside) Bye for now. May add more Mon am, Comments are open by the way.. does anyone read this.
oh hear is one for you.. have you heard of Piers Corbyn, a UK Solar Met? he says we get a Blizzard Friday or Saturday!?
