Welcomed Change After Record January Warmth...

I was too bummed to post yesterday after the Rams folded like a cheap suit .  After a record high of 82, today has stayed in the 50s despite sunshine.  But it's supposed to be cold in January as these scenes from my middle son (Ryan) in Missoula, MT. shows.

These pictures were taken around noon when their temperature was 22.  Gotta love the views topography creates.   Can't do that here where it's all flat land until you get north of Lake P.   So what is going on?

An upper trough has developed over the Great Lakes & East coast bringing down the bitter cold from Canada.  Since that trough hasn't kept digging southward, the core of the brutal air will stay to our north and east.

There is another cold front coming south, but all it will do for us is keep to temperatures below normal for the next 2-3 days.  Note how dry (low dewpoints) the air around us is.

Lots of sunshine spread in behind last night's front, but it won't last.   A weak disturbance is streaking across west Texas and will make for some hazy sunshine on Tuesday.  As the clouds arrive later tonight, they should keep lows from getting down to freezing except way north of the Lake.  

Frankly, if you're dressed for the chill, it feels refreshing outside and that feeling will hang around until the weekend.  Our next front will move through late Saturday bring some showers and more cold air for next week.  Finally, some satellite views...

On the top pic, the yellow line points out the snow cover from Colorado to the Great Lakes.  The next view is showing the Great Lakes "snow machine" created as Arctic air flows over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.  And the last two show how in only once week, the Bay of Green Bay went from no ice to almost totally frozen over.  More bitter cold is coming, so until the Lakes are frozen over, Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it...well you know the song.  Stay tuned!