Quick Arctic Blast, Coldest Stays North & East, Late Week Warm Up.

 I know many of you dislike it being 80 degrees in late December & January, but it's why I have chosen to spend the rest of my life in NOLA.  Yeah, we do get freezing cold, but usually it doesn't last for weeks & weeks.  So too for our next shot of cold coming tomorrow.  The upper energy driving the cold southward quickly exits to the Northeast meaning our cooldown will be brief and not too intense. The upper low is currently over the Dakotas.

The GFS model races that low across the Great Lakes and over the Northeast by  Monday & Tuesday.

This will result in the core of the cold staying to our north.

make no mistake, this is a real Arctic Blast that will bring back the heavy coats for us.  Note the rapid drop in temps behind the front.

St. Louis is 71 while it's 38 in Kansas City and 20 in Denver at 11 AM CST.  Add in brisk northerly winds of 25-40 mph and the cool down tomorrow here will feel drastic.

The coldest mornings will be Tuesday & Wednesday and you should use today to protect your tender plants,  RIGHT NOW, I don't see a freeze coming to the South Shore.

The North Shore will need to take full precautions as lows will be in the mid 20s.  New Year's Eve will be dry but quite cold.  Winds should have decreased by then so it won't feel so bad.  Enjoy today's warmth before Reality returns.  Stay tuned!

More Legends Say Goodbye, Freeze Coming Next Week

We still have another couple of warm days before the reality of winter returns.  I love this warmth, but I understand many of you don't.  Just wait until next week, and you'll be happy campers again.  Why?  The upper pattern is going to change from troughs along both coasts with a weak ridge over the southern states to a deeper trough over the Great Lakes.  We begin with the current U.S. satellite view. followed by today's upper pattern.

The GFS predicts that a trough along the West coast will race across the country this weekend, bringing an end to the unusually warm weather across the mid part of the nation.  The top view is for Sunday, followed by Monday & Tuesday.

What you should notice is that the lobe of the Polar Vortex doesn't dig down into the U.S.  That should keep the core of the cold to our north and east.  Hannah Gard showed the computer forecast lows for Tuesday & Wednesday that confirmed that thinking.

Bottom line, unless the upper trough deepens, this will not be a pipe-busting cold south of Lake P.  Northshore will need to take full precautions once again.    If I were still protecting my yard, I'd bring my plants into my He-shed on Sunday just to be safe.

In the short term (Sat-Sun), we are in for a Spring-like weekend.

We have more clouds around, but that hasn't kept us from being near 80.

This next front will bring back the heavy weather gear leading up to New Year's Eve.  It will finally get rid of the daily fog threat, making no issues for the fireworks on the River.  Finally, over the holidays, we lost 2 more legends in my life.  Dr. Neil Frank, former director of NHC, passed away at 94 in Houston.

I met Neil while I worked in Tampa back in the early 70s.  He replaced Dr. Bob Simpson in 1974 and, for 13 more years, was the Director, making him the longest serving Director in NHC history.  He and I were like 2 souls on a mission.  He was animated & passionate about educating the public regarding hurricanes.  He was a true legend, much like Bob Carr was locally.  In case you missed it...

I met Jan and Bob Carr back in the 80s, long after their TV career at WDSU ended.  They had a popular radio program and invited me to their home on Esplanade Ave. to tape a half-hour interview.  What a blast we had, and I remember how kind they were to me.  I was fairly new to the city, but they treated me like long time family.  Jan died in 2022, with Bob passing 3 years later.  Again, true legends in the history of my life.  Stay tuned!