Cold Slow To Leave, Brief Warm Up, Another Weekend Freeze

 Several of you had asked about when will the cold linger and get us off the roller coaster temperature ride?  I pointed out the lack of snow cover was allowing air to moderate quickly after a cold frontal passage.  Not so anymore as the extensive snow cover nearby to our north is resulting in the cold air to linger.

I find it really neat how the rivers and streams & lakes stand out.  But because of the snow cover, temperatures struggle to warm despite bright sunshine. 

Where there is snow on the ground, temps are in the 30s & 40s.  Where there is no snow, temps warm into the 50s & 60s.  The current upper pattern has the eastern upper trough backing off to the NE and that will allow for a brief warm up for us.

But the bottom graphic is the upper air forecast for Saturday with a big dip digging into the Southeast.  Since the axis is to our east, we'll stay dry.  However, since it's so far to the south, another Arctic Blast is coming for this weekend, perhaps even colder than the last one.

I am encouraged by the new Arctic is not as extreme up in Canada.  A week ago, we had them 40-50 below zero.  Now it's only 20-30 below.  IF the upper trough position becomes reality, we'll be dealing with several mornings of hard freezes for BOTH side of Lake P.  I will do a podcast today expanding on things to watch regarding this next round of freezing weather.  To see the podcast, you must be a subscriber at bobbreck.com.  the cost is $2/month.   John Snell will be my podcast guess next week so go sign up to see and hear us.  

Those are pretty scary morning lows coming for Sunday & Monday.  I'll get into my thoughts on my podcast coming out after 5 PM today.  Stay tuned!

Arctic Cold Keeps Coming, More Freezes, Mardi Gras At Copeland Tower

If you are a subscriber to my Podcast (bobbreck.com), you know all about the Polar Vortex and what it takes for us to get cold and STAY cold.  Earlier in this Winter season, the West Coast was getting hammered with rain, snow & cold, while we were mild to warm.  An upper ridge was over the Southeast, keeping the cold air away.  During the past 10 days, that pattern flipped to an East Coast upper trough (Polar Vortex) that rotates around lobe after lobe of air from the Arctic.  The result has been a huge increase in the snow cover much farther to the south. The top is the snow cover from last Friday.

The bottom is from this morning.  Wow!  What a change from New Mexico over the Ohio/Tenn. Valleys!  It really shows up on satellite views.

Everything inside the yellow line is snow/ice on the ground.  When I zoom in, you can see the rivers & valleys.

With such nearby snow cover, the Arctic air doesn't modify much despite sunshine.  Another hard freeze is expected tonight, so full precautions will be required, including running/dripping water after 9 PM. MSY dropped to 27 this morning, breaking the record (29) set back in 1988.  With clear skies and light winds, Tuesday morning might be colder.  NWS has warnings up for the whole state.

Nicondra showed us these lows, which would tie the record tomorrow at MSY.  So when will the cold leave?  Not anytime soon.  In fact, it could get colder this weekend because the lobe of the Polar Vortex is predicted to be deeper over the SE.

The top and middle graphics are current, while the bottom is for Saturday PM.  Yikes!  Look at how deep the dip is.  Since the axis of the trough is to our east, we have no threat of any precipitation.  But it should mean another snowstorm for the Northeast.

The Gulf is covered in clouds, but I see no return flow coming before next week.  Any warm-up will be brief before colder weather returns.

Wow!  Look at those lows later this week into the weekend.  That's a serious hard freeze!  I will probably do a Podcast on the next cold blast that could be the coldest in years.  You'll need to subscribe ($2/month) at bobbreck.com.  Finally, on a brighter note, yesterday was our Mardi Gras Ball at Copeland Tower.

Our King & Queen were Emile & Inez Siegrist, assisted by maids Valerie Adams & Gracie Loisel. Valerie was joined by her 2 best friends, Mindy & Becky.

Of course, Ms. Valerie's escort was the little fella.   Besides the great Copeland food & drinks, one of the highlights was Ken Jenkins' Shoes!

If that doesn't make you smile Gang, nothing will.  Stay warm & stay tuned!