BLOG: Baby, It's Cold Outside

The cold air is here, and other than a little break late this week, it's sticking around for the next 2-3 weeks. We are going to top out in the upper 30s today, then not get out of the 30s for highs through Wednesday. When you factor in the gusty winds, the wind chill is taking the temperature's feel down about 10 degrees. Temperatures will creep up slightly at the end of the week, and we may even come close to our average high of 48 degrees on Saturday. However, that is before another storm moves our way and brings back the bitterly cold air again for next week.

Another thing with this pattern is the lake-effect machine alive and kicking. The Arctic air is getting pulled over the unfrozen Great Lakes, creating bands of snow. That snow is piling up in western Maryland where a winter storm warning remains in effect through tomorrow. There are already a few inches of snow in Frostburg, and even more up in the western facing high slopes. But these lake-effect bands are so strong that even though they weaken as they pass over the mountains, there is still enough for rounds of flurries and snow showers all the way down to the Eastern Shore - and that is going to continue through Tuesday night or Wednesday. For those skiiers out there, this is creating a great early season snow pack for the resorts in western Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The lake-effect machine will shut off later this week, because a new storm will be moving our way. The first one will be a quick moving Clipper on Friday. It will bring some clouds in, but looks like it will mainly pass north of us. Then, a second storm and stronger storm will come Saturday night into Sunday. That storm will turn winds around to the south ahead of it, cutting off the lake-effect connection and the Arctic flow into Maryland. But the storm will have a lot of cold air with it, so it could end up being a messy one by the time it moves through. We will keep you updated on the details as we move through the week.