Not Much Warmth On The Way - NBC40.net
A chilly good morning to you all! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are still in the winter season for six more days. The weather is certainly making sure we are well aware of this fact with an upcoming stretch of cooler temperatures that will range from 5 to 10 degrees below average by day and night. It all starts today as a pool of cool air moves eastward following last night's frontal passage. The core of this cold air will be over the Northeast today and tonight, so we'll at least warm up a bit once we get through the day. I use the word "warm" loosely, as we will remain at or below average for our high temps for a while. Speaking of which, high temperatures today will struggle to reach the low 40s despite partly to mostly sunny skies and ample sunshine. West winds will only make it feel cooler; at 15 to 20mph (not including gusts over 30mph), wind chill factors will make it feel about 10 degrees cooler outside. While winds may back off a bit tonight, it will still be a perfect night for what is known as radiative cooling. That's when any daytime heating at the surface escapes into the atmosphere with the help of clear skies, dry air, and relatively calm winds. We'll have the first two ingredients in place. Mainly clear and dry tonight with lows in the mid to upper 20s. Winds will remain out of the west to northwest at 10 to 15mph. If we didn't have that stronger wind mixing the air at the surface, we would likely get another degree or two cooler. That core of cold air begins to depart on Friday, and while we are able to warm up a bit more...upper 40s compared to low 40s...we'll still have a northwest wind at 10 to 15mph, and that will still add an extra chill to the air.
Our next weather maker arrives on Saturday. Rather, it misses us to the north, but moisture associated with it gets wrapped around the center and passes through South Jersey through the afternoon and evening hours. The day will be far from a total wash-out, but I would still recommend keeping an umbrella close by for any St. Patrick's Day activies. Highs will make a climb towards the 50 degree mark as well, and if it verifies, that will only be the fifth time we see that mark this month. That will be a running trend for a while, as warmer air remains pinned to our south and west thanks to a blocking ridge of high pressure over Greenland. Meanwhile, St. Patrick's Day itself will be dry, and that's the good news. The bad news is that it does appear to be cool with highs in the mid 40s. That one day break will lead us right into a two day stretch of unsettled weather. Monday and Tuesday both hold two separate chance for rain, and each day has highs rise into the upper 40s to low 50s. Ironically enough, the first day of Spring is forecasted to be one of the coolest days of the forecast period with sunnier skies and highs in the low to mid 40s.
Bundle up, and have a great day!
- Meteorologist Adam Rutt
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