Precautions Needed North & West Tonight, Remember Pipe Rule

 If you are dressed for it, our current chilly airmass feels pretty good.  That's because it's so dry with dew points in the teens & 20s.  Despite bright sunshine, temps have struggled to reach 50.  Consequently, when the center of high pressure to our west moves over us over night, winds will decrease allowing for temps to dip below freezing in many locations.  Some of you will have to run/drip water to prevent pipes from freezing.  I begin with the longtime pipe rule given to me back in the late 70s by master plumber, the late Mickey Scholl.

With clear skies & light winds, temps should fall to near the dew point resulting in below freezing temps except near Lake P. on the South Shore.  Here's what Amber wheeler showed us at noon.

Obviously, tropical plants & pets will need protection, but many spots will dip to 28 or less requiring some folks to drip the water when they go to sleep.  The warm up begins tomorrow and will last through the weekend as the next front will be a weak one on Saturday.  The Great Lakes upper trough has lifted back into Canada, but the NW flow will keep the chilly air coming for the eastern states.

In terms of firework viewing Wednesday night, conditions will be almost perfect if you are dressed for it.  Note there are no signs of any return Gulf flow.  The core of the Arctic cold is shifting to our northeast.

You can see how the surface front has dipped down to the Yucatan with the cold air "cloud streamers" showing up on satellite views.

The weekend late Friday front will bring us some clouds, but only a very small chance for some showers.  The start of 2026 looks dry and mild for January.  I might not post again until Friday so enjoy

what for many of us will be a Happy New Year!   I'll be with my new companion Valerie down at The Cannery listening to the Wise Guys enjoying the wonderful change in my life after a horrible 7 months.  I wish everyone health & happiness in 2026.   A special thanks to the 800+ subscribers to my new podcast.  I'm working on a polar vortex podcast along with interviews with the many FOX 8 personalities that make them the most watched TV News station in New Orleans.  Sign up at bobbreck.com to see and hear us.  Thanks. Stay tuned!

Drastic Cool Down Will Be Brief, Late Week Warm Up

Gosh, if you watch any of the local weathercasters, you'd think a hard freeze is coming.  My take is they use & abuse the emphasis on WINDCHILL instead of focusing on the actual temperatures.  Wind chills will NOT freeze pipes, yet that's all I'm seeing is wind chills could get into the teens & 20s.  So what?  What I really want to know is how low the ACTUAL temperature will be, so I can make a decision to run/drip my water if necessary.  Let's begin with the cool down.

Yeah, the 24-hour temperature change has brought back the heavy coats, but you can see the greatest changes are farther to our north.  That's because the upper low/energy is racing to the Northeast, where the core of this Arctic Blast will be greatest.

The Great Lakes snow machine will be in full effect, creating the usual travel problems that are supposed to happen at this time of the year.  Further to the south, impacts will be far less.

Lots of high clouds will make for hazy sunshine, resulting in, at best, Tuesday & Wednesday highs struggling to top 50 degrees.  But it's the actual low temperatures that matter.  Here's what Amber Wheeler showed us at 4 PM.

Despite all the hype on windchills, IF these forecast lows prove to be reality, maybe even the North Shore doesn't need to run the water.  Certainly, not tonight.  However, if I were still protecting my plants, I'd have moved them into my He-Shed and/or covered them, as tropical plants don't like anything below the upper 30s.  Check with the later forecasts on FOX 8 to determine IF you need to drip those faucets.

As you can see, the cold doesn't linger as we're back to 70+ by Friday.  One good thing about living at Copeland Tower is that you can still be a gardener.  Plus, you don't have the hassle of protecting your plants.  Here's what some of my friends are doing.

Doctors Karen & Jack have gone all out with some stunning colors outside their apartment.  My new companion Valerie, prefers to decorate her windows.

Despite a north facing Lake view, she gets plenty of natural light to bring out the stunning colors.  I'm just getting started.

Give me several months, and I'll have more color inside and outside my place.  The best decision I ever made was downsizing from a big house in my later life.  Stay tuned!