Monday, December 3, 2012
For those who loathe the cold—how does 65 degrees sound on Tuesday?
December's first week will feature generally mild weather. The cold trough that dominated much of November, bringing us our first month of below-average temperatures since last August, has been replaced with a more zonal pattern in the atmosphere. This is allowing temperatures to moderate quite a bit through Wednesday and still remain close to normal through the end of the week as the cold air core entrenches over the Yukon and Alaska this week. Don't get too giddy with hopes for warmth all winter. We will trend colder, likely next week, but for those who thought the November chill was insufferable, the following week provides a bit of a breather in the pattern. The warmest of the days this week will be Tuesday, with highs that flirt with …
Monday, November 26, 2012
A crisp week of weather is ahead of us...and potential for some light snow on Tuesday in the forecast.
This month is shaping up as not only our first month of below average temperatures since August of last year, but also, potentially, the coldest November since the late 1990s. Before you fret and wonder if this is the beginning of a long, cold winter of discontent, November is not necessarily a harbinger of what winter will bring. Several cold Novembers have been followed by warm winters (2007, 1997, 1996 to name three over the last couple of decades). This November will close on the same chilled note on which it began, as temperatures for the balance of the month will average out a few degrees below normal. Included in that chill this week is the potential for some light snow on Tuesday. At this point, it looks likely that precipitation …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Thanksgiving's weather is expected to be dry and quiet as we continue our peaceful weather pattern around the region.
The weather over the next week is expected to continue the quiet trend established about ten days ago. While temperatures have bounced around between mild and chilled, the weather has been dry and tranquil daily. That will continue, although this week will feature a moderate trend in temperatures each afternoon. Thanksgiving and Black Friday should be particularly nice, with Thanksgiving probably a bit sunnier and Black Friday a bit milder of the two respective days. Afternoon highs each day could flirt with or exceed 60 degrees. Enjoy! A cold shot is lurking for the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and could linger into early next week. The chill will be nothing brutal, but highs may return to the 40s for Sunday and Monday of next week. …
Monday, November 12, 2012
After Hurricane Sandy and last week's close call with the nor'easter, an inactive week of weather is ahead.
We largely lucked out on last week's nor'easter as it tracked about 30 to 40 miles farther east than it appeared it would when we wrote last week's article. Instead of a snowy outcome for the whole region, snow was largely confined to lower Bucks County and east into New Jersey. Some parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties picked up a foot of snow from that nor'easter—Philly picked up a trace and Pottstown picked up a few snowflakes mixed in with light rain. Thankfully, the weather pattern this week is less complex and stormy and much easier on both forecasters and the storm-weary. Outside of a round of showers that will move through late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, the week's weather looks pretty boring. I don't think anyone will …
Monday, November 5, 2012
There was nothing nice about the weather last week and there will be nothing nice about Wednesday's nor'easter either, but odds favor a wonderful weekend of Fall weather are on the horizon.
Many people are still picking up the pieces in the wake of Hurricane Sandy's path across the region last week. Millions lost power at one point, billions of dollars in damage likely, and numerous communities beat down and destroyed by the wrath of a late season hurricane that will never be forgotten by some area residents. Pouring some salt on the open wound that is still across the region is another coastal storm, likely to impact us on Wednesday into Thursday. Computer modeling suggests the brunt of the nor'easter will be felt on Wednesday afternoon into Thursday before it pulls away. It will not be as strong as Sandy, but the potential for 50 mph wind gusts at the Shore and 30 mph wind gusts across the Philly suburbs is enough to add …
Monday, October 22, 2012
If you liked most of last week's weather, you'll love the majority of this week.
Last week was a nice prelude to Indian Summer—temperatures topped 70 on three occasions in the Philadelphia-area and almost topped 70 on a fourth day. Despite the heavy rain in spots on Friday, the week as a whole was rather nice and the weekend was even nicer. Get ready for a still nicer run of weather this week. Temperatures will start in the 60s on Monday before warming above 70 through at least Friday and probably into Saturday. High pressure will hold in place over the Carolinas for much of the week, bringing a mild west and west-southeast wind that will push our high temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday into the upper half of the 70s. It would not shock us if a few low 80s occurred near the region. While not a record, it is warm …
Monday, October 15, 2012
After a frosty start to last weekend, a milder week is upon us in the weather world. Welcome to Indian Summer.
After a chilly start to last weekend, we have warmed up in a hurry and have a mild week on tap around the region, with considerably higher temperatures. Also, since many of us had a frost on the pumpkins or peppers in our garden, this week's weather is somewhat synonymous to what's found in a typical "Indian Summer" pattern. The term's usage was first attributed to the 18th Century and a French-American writer named John Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. De Crevecoeur wrote: "Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer." Other accounts, including one Canadian settler Catherine …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Naming winter storms isn't some fancy new idea...but is it the right idea? Phillyweather.net's Tom Thunstrom talks about naming storms and just who should be doing the naming.
Last Tuesday's news by The Weather Channel announcing their intention to name winter storms across the US this coming winter came with varied amounts of criticism from the meteorological community, partly due to channel's criteria (secretive but part of it is subjective) and partly due to the lack of coordination within the meteorological community overall. The idea of naming winter storms isn't new. NBC 10 tried it fifteen or so years ago and was ridiculed for it, quickly putting the kibosh on the idea. Naming winter storms is commonplace in Europe and has been done for decades, but winter storms there are generally more similar to those that impact our west coast in that they have a lot of wind associated with them. Lake effect …
Monday, October 1, 2012
The middle of the week offers a potentially damp period in what will be a generally mild start to the month.
We turn the page to October and the gradual transition of seasons continues. However, it's going to be a mild week and not very Fall-like despite the rather Fall-like weekend that we just experienced. A large storm system in the southern U.S. will push northeast for the middle of the week, pulling moisture and warmth northward into the Delaware Valley. Showers and storms are possible for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday as the system moves through. With a pretty significant surge of moisture coming north from the Gulf of Mexico, the prospect for heavier showers is in the forecast for some locations as this system moves in. With the pull of warmth into the region, some 80 degree weather can't be ruled out on Wednesday afternoon before a …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Tuesday could bring a "fall squall" of wind and rain to the region, but the rest of the week should feature very nice weather.
A storm system is organizing in the southern parts of the country, poised to impact us on Tuesday as it lifts northeast through the Great Lakes and Northeast. A strong low and mid-level jet stream will accompany the intensifying low, with the result being the potential for severe wind gusts and soaking rains for the region. This system is most likely to arrive on Tuesday evening into and continue into Tuesday night. The Storm Prediction Center says there's a decent chance for severe weather in the region as the storm system moves through. It won't be the traditional "thunderstorm" that severe storms fall under. Fall severe weather events traditionally have less thunder and are driven by dynamics with the jet stream and a stronger low …
