Core of the Cold Now - Milder Days Ahead!
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Still pretty blurry in the eyesight department due to recent LASIK...so another fairly brief blog tonight. Hopefully this clears up soon!
Immediately upon walking outside today, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. Just brutal out there; for some reason feeling even colder than the post-snowstorm chill last Friday. The wind certainly didn't help, gusting to 40mph at times. Wind chill values will stay dangerously cold through tomorrow (generally the 0 to -15 range). So you know the drill by now after this bitterly cold start to winter. Limit time outdoors, cover up exposed skin, don't leave pets outside for long, and keep kids bundled up like Randy from a Christmas Story at the bus stop.
The core of the cold is over us right now, with 850mb temps near -25C! Now if it was going to be a calm night I'd expect temps in the -5 to -18 range overnight. But with the breeze staying active and some atmospheric mixing taking place, most towns will be more in the 6 to -5 range (gee, lucky us!). The breeze keeps the coldest of air from settling down right at the surface. Of course those 'warmer' temperatures come at a price, since the breeze will keep wind chill values subzero. Either way, baby it's cold outside! Records don't look to be in jeopardy though. The record for Wednesday in Boston is -6 (1878) and in Worcester it's -11 (1968).
Tomorrow the piece of the polar vortex that broke off and directed winds straight from the North Pole over the past couple of days will start to re-consolidate around the Arctic Circle. This will lead to a more zonal jet stream, and a moderation of temperature heading into the rest of the week. That being said, not exactly tropical out there for our Wednesday. With highs in the 10s/20s and a breeze it will still be well below average and chilly enough to keep many indoors or extremely layered up outside. As winds finally calm down Wednesday night, most towns will dive back into the 0s and perhaps a couple towns may get just below zero by Thursday morning. Then we're on the mend!
Thursday high pressure will sit overhead to start, then shift eastward late in the day. This is in response to a short-wave heading through, which may bring some cloud cover but that's about it. Highs in the 20s to low 30s should feel pretty good relatively speaking, especially compared to our recent weather! On Friday moisture will start to travel up the East Coast and bring some additional cloud cover, but in terms of actual rain and snow there may only just be a flurry or sprinkle. And lucky us...many towns will top 32 for the first time since Monday. All in all not a terrible end to the week.
The next storm rides up the East Coast on Saturday. The morning may start out chilly and perhaps even with some flakes as a warm front lifts north. By the late afternoon & evening most of the area should be into the mild southerly winds as temperatures make it well into the 40s if not the 50s. Never dull around here, is it? So no Snow Bowl for the Patriots match-up against the Colts Saturday night. Just plan on a potentially wet tailgate and game...but no brutal cold to deal with by any stretch of the imagination. Milder air should stick around Sunday through Tuesday before the next outbreak of cold starts to move in.