BLOG: Wow

We're in the midst of a pattern that is about as tranquil as it could get during the first half of January.

A colleague of mine pointed out that at one point late Thursday evening, absolutely NONE of the stations that make hourly observations across the 48 states were reporting any form of precipitation.

During the past several hours, the leading edge of somewhat milder air moving across the Great Lakes has caused light snow in southeastern Canada to drift into the Adirondacks of upstate New York and across extreme northern New England, bringing to end this unthinkable time frame (there was no precipitation occurring in Texas, or California, or Florida... nowhere). Sure, there are some "inactive" weather patterns, but then there's THIS ONE!

Temperatures will continue climbing Friday, and most will be peaking in either the middle or upper 50s as a southwesterly wind flow prevails. The strongest winds will probably be in the 10-20 mph range, but there probably won't be any stronger gusts.

There will be clouds as well as some sun, and several communities Friday night probably will have temperatures no lower than the mid 30s (which is what most typical daytime highs are during this time of year).

The next cold front that will be swinging across the Eastern Region Saturday won't have very much moisture to work with. Therefore, while there may be some clouds and a light breeze on some occasions, there really won't be a very noticeable change in the air mass. Behind this front, the air will be of Pacific origin, and not polar.

It'll be turning progressively cooler, but not necessarily "colder" on Sunday and Monday, with most temperatures in the middle and upper 40s. There'll be some rain blossoming Saturday night and Sunday along the Gulf Coast, which will manage to spread out across much of the Southeast.

However, with a ridge of high pressure shielding the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic states from this influx of moisture, there shouldn't be any precipitation for the next several days.