Temperatures Plunge As Backdoor Cold Front Moves Through
By Kate Bilo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- What a difference 24 hours can make! And it's all thanks to a weather phenomenon known as a "backdoor cold front," which ushers cold, raw air in from the Atlantic Ocean. The term "backdoor" signifies the fact that this front generally moves in from east to west, whereas most cold fronts cross the nation from west to east. So the front is, in essence, sneaking in through the weather back door.
The temperature right now is a solid 25 degrees colder than it was at this time yesterday, because of both the push of cool air from the east and the rain which came through the area earlier which cooled the column of air over the city. It's a striking difference from yesterday and Monday's summerlike warmth, and even today cities like Harrisburg and Baltimore languish in the 80's while we zip our our rain jackets and fleeces.
The cool spell will persist tomorrow with temperatures more than ten degrees below average across the entire northeast. The shore points will remain especially chilly with a brisk wind off the water all day long, and highs barely making it into the 60's. But this is a volatile time of year and as quickly as we cool off, we heat up again - back into the 70's as early as Friday, and it's a beautiful weekend with highs in the upper 70's and sunshine both days.
June is generally a pleasant and dry month in our area, so hopefully we'll see a more settled weather pattern in place over the coming weeks.