February 16, 2001
Winter to return to parts of the East by the second half of the weekend, but the duration is still in question. Not a whole lot of major wintry weather to discuss for our area in the short range, although it will begin to feel like winter once again as early as late Friday night as a batch of rain may end as a period of wet snow.
Friday will be mostly cloudy with rain and showers likely throughout the day. Highs Friday in the low to mid 40s. Rain will become heavy for a period Friday night and *may* end as a brief period of wet snow very late Friday night or early Saturday morning. No accumulation expected. Lows Friday night around 35. The culprit for the dreary weather will be a cold front which has gotten 'hung-up' over the Mid Atlantic. A couple of weak waves of low pressure will be traversing the front on during the day on Friday and early Saturday morning. As the systems pull away, there will be a return to winter-like conditions as an Arctic airmass awaits near the Canadian border. This area of cold weather is expected to seep into the area during the day on Saturday, but we will really feel the effects by Sunday.
Saturday will start off cloudy around daybreak, but cloudy skies will give way to partly to mostly sunny skies as the day wares on. Highs will be around 40 on Saturday, but it will be brisk with a stiff Northwest wind. Wind chills will likely make it feel closer to 20. Sunday will be mostly sunny and colder, with highs in the low to mid 30s.
An Alberta Clipper will be making it's way across the Northern Tier of the country on Monday yielding increasing clouds for our region. A chance of snow Monday afternoon and night. Doesn't look extremely impressive at the moment, but some light accumulations may occur across parts of the region. Highs Monday in the upper 30s. Lows Monday night around freezing.
Skies become partly cloudy on Tuesday with the chance for a scattered flurry or rain shower. Highs Tuesday in the low 40s. As we look farther down the road into the middle part of the week, there are some hints at a decent sized mid latitude cyclone traversing the nation. A few pieces of guidance allude to a fairly sizeable snow event at some point between the 21st and 23rtd. Too early to begin speculating, but thought it would be interesting to note since I have received quite a few e-mails telling me to hang up the sleds . . . winter is over for good. Need to keep an eye on that period as there is some potential for a moderate winter storm for parts of the East.
So, Friday will be a dreary February day with showers and steady rain affecting the area. Highs Friday in the low to mid 40s. Rain may taper to a brief period of wet snow late Fridaynight or early Saturday morning with no accumulation expected for our region. The remainder of Saturday will be brisk with winds out of the Northwest. Highs around 40. Sunday will be mostly sunny and colder with highs in the low to mid 30s. Clouds will increase Sunday in response to a disturbance headed our way. A chance of snow Monday afternoon and night (more on this later). Highs Monday in the upper 30s. Skies become partly cloudy for Tuesday with a scattered flurry or rain shower. Highs in the low 40s. Another more interesting system making it's move across the nation during the middle of the week. May have eyes on our area between the 21st and 23rd (more later on this too).
Important note: an upgrade is being made to my PC, so may not be able to update again until early next week. Will try and add one more update before it heads to the shop for service late Friday night or early Saturday. Take care.
