Yes, It's Cold, It's January!
Do you think that we have been spoiled by all of the mild weather this fall and the start of the winter? It was 60 degrees on January 7 and even 54 in Boston yesterday and already I am hearing some people complain about the cold. Hmmm. Oh well. The coldest day in Boston last winter occurred on January 24 with the low of -2 and the high of 13 degrees. Yes, it's going to be very cold but not record-breaking tonight through early Monday. At Gillette stadium, the fans are heated up for the big game against Tim Tebow and the Broncos. The temperature will drop from near 21 at kickoff down to 16 in the 4th quarter. Fortunately, the wind will not be howling like last evening but an occasional gust to 15-20 mph will add extra chill to the air and make it feel like the single numbers to almost zero eventually. That's not as numbing as the windchill well below zero for the January 10, 2004 game vs. Tennessee when the Pats won 17-14. The sky will be mainly clear and at dawn, it will be down to about 12 in Boston and single numbers north and west of Boston to the middle teens on the outer Cape Cod where a developing northerly wind will steer some low clouds and possible flurries in. That will probably continue into tomorrow while the rest of the region has bright sunshine and a few scattered patches of clouds. Expect highs near or just under 20 near and north and west of Boston to the lower 20s or so over southeastern MA. For the rest of the holiday weekend honoring Martin Luther King, Jr, expect calm conditions and extra radiational cooling to near zero in some suburbs to about 15 in Boston tomorrow night. Monday will feature varying amounts of high and some mid-level cloudiness and sunshine with a south-southwesterly breeze transporting milder air into the region with afternoon highs in the lower 30s.
Looking ahead, a stream of more moist air will create some mixed frozen precipitation Monday night into early Tuesday followed by plain rain showers from time to time as it warms up to the lower 40s. A developing storm will transit well west of the region and its attached cold front will sweep across the region early Wednesday morning. So colder air will rush in via a gusty westerly wind and prevent the temperature from exceeding the lower to middle 30s. Cold weather will linger through Thursday then a few flurries could introduce milder air for next weekend. In fact, a pattern flip back to much above average temperatures may occur from January 22nd to at least the 25th! We could be back in the 50s again! Furthermore, this pattern does not favor any snowstorms for the Boston area through the rest of the month. Consequently, with just over an inch of snow so far this season, could we end up in the top 5 least snowy winters? I'd say, at this time, the odds are very high for this to happen. While much of the region near and west of the I-95 corridor received 1-5" of snow this week, there have not been any significant storms after the October blitz. Premature snowfalls and warm autumns almost always produce more than 50% of the average seasonal snowfall. The least snowy winter in Boston was 1936-37 with 8.2" More recently in 2001-02, Boston's 15.1" ranked 5th for least snowy winters.
For us skiers, boarders and snowmobilers, it's about time that we got some of the white stuff. Most of the resorts received in the range of 5 up to 20 inches of new snow. The highest amounts occurred in the Green Mountains. This has opened up more alpine terrain and enabled some nordic trails and snowmobile trails to finally go into business again. However, the cover is thin from place to place so exercise caution. We really need a widespread blockbuster storm which would open up all of the great glades and non-snowmaking slopes. For now, let's be happy for the uptick in conditions just in time for this holiday weekend. This arctic blast makes perfect conditions for efficient manufacturing of snow so you know that the snow guns will be working full blast everywhere. We need to thank the hard-working teams out there on the mountains all night shifting the hoses and guns and operating the grooming vehicles. Despite the bare ground in much of eastern MA, you will find much improved conditions on the slopes. Dress properly for this cold and you can have a wonderful time. Layering of thin clothes makes much more sense then one big bulky heavy coat. Wear a neck gaiter and goggles and mittens are warmer than most gloves. For safety and extra warmth, wear a helmet! A face mask is helpful in some of the harsh weather. Avoid frostbite by keeping all flesh covered and take breaks in the brutally cold weather especially when the windchill is subzero. Enjoy your time on the mountains but please be courteous and cautious especially where there are converging trails.
Time for the big game! GO PATS!
Joe Joyce delivers his AccuWeather Forecast in the morning and I shall return later in the afternoon.
Have a happy and safe holiday weekend.
Joe Joyce
