WEATHER BLOG: Chilly And Calm

While a weak ripple of low pressure is moving toward the Carolinas early Thursday, the current weather map is also showing a very large ridge of high pressure that is located in eastern Canada. In fact, this high pressure is "driving a wedge" southward along the spine of the Appalachians. So, with a plentiful supply of dry air in place, we'll be precipitation-free Thursday and Friday.

But there's no denying that current satellite imagery indicates that a band of high and mid level clouds will continue sliding across the mid-Atlantic states, and it should also spread into areas as far north and southern New England as the
morning unfolds. One of the necessary adjustments that was made to the forecast by Wednesday's afternoon and evening crews was to "play up" cloud cover, while also allowing for sunny intervals.

That forecast still seems very reasonable, given recent satellite trends. And this cloud cover has also allowed for most temperatures overnight to "stabilize" somewhat. A few of them have actually started to rise just a bit because of the presence of these clouds. Temperatures Thursday afternoon will be no higher than the lower 50s. Thursday night, even though the sky may be partly cloudy early, the prevailing thoughts are that some low clouds will be returning to much of the coastal plain after midnight.