A Calm Ides Of March - NBC40.net
Good morning, South Jersey, and TGIF! Today is the infamous day known as the Ides of March (At least if your name is Julius Caesar), but there is nothing to worry about in terms of today's weather. High pressure to our south and east will continue to drift eastward and give us one more dry day today. Warm air has been and continues to be difficult to acquire, but we do make a run towards the 50 degree mark today with west winds at 5 to 10mph. Skies will start off mostly sunny, but cloud cover returns by nightfall. A weak cold front to the northeast will sweep to the south and arrive later tonight. Though this front is rather weak, I do still think an isolated rain shower or even a flurry or two cannot be ruled out of the forecast. Lows tonight will drop into the mid 30s, and winds will shift to the southwest at 10 to 15mph. That brings us to St. Patrick's Day weekend. I know there are a lot of parades and outdoor events tomorrow, and I really hate to be the bearer of bad news here...you'll need your umbrellas tomorrow afternoon and evening. The morning looks to remain dry, but rain showers will move through the region after lunch time and remain on and off through the evening. Highs will also remain a good deal cooler than initially forecasted due to the introduction of a cloud deck earlier than anticipated (That acts as a shield for the surface to inhibit and major daytime heating from the sun) and our pesky core of high pressure over Greenland that continues to block and northward movement of warm air. Highs will struggle to reach the mid 40s with a northeast wind at 10mph. Any rainfall amounts should stay on the lighter side of things. Up to a quarter of an inch can be expected.
St. Patrick's Day itself appears to be grey but dry. A few peeks of sun are still possible if we can clear out just enough with a weak wedge of high pressure moving into the area. Highs remain on the chilly side, with temperatures in the mid 40s once again. The beginning of the next work week, which also holds the last two days of the winter season, will get off to a soggy start. If you remember, I had mentioned that I was circling March 19th as a day when another storm would arrive. That same system arrives right about on schedule. With a weak up welling of warm air, we'll remain on the warm side of this storm and receive all rain from this event. The only exception falls on Sunday night into the morning on Monday, where wet snowflakes may mix in with the rain. I don't expect any accumulation, however. Highs start in the upper 40s on Monday before rising into the low 50s for Tuesday. Ironically enough, we kick off the Spring season on a rather chilly note. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, but high temperatures will range in the low to mid 40s.
Have a great weekend everyone!
- Meteorologist Adam Rutt
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