WEATHER BLOG: Gusty Winds. Low Temps
This arctic boundary has also led to an uptick in the wind, which could gust up to 40 mph today.
But undoubtedly, the gusty wind will make today and tonight "feel brutal" at times, or more like its in the slightly above zero this afternoon -- then like its between 10 and 20 degrees below zero tonight!!
The actual temperature will be in the single digits (mostly between 2 and 7 degrees) in the larger cities, but the mercury will drop below zero in many interior locations.
The sky tomorrow will be fairly sunny, but it will be ineffective, with most afternoon temperatures will be in the teens and low 20s. A few clouds will be gathering on Friday night, which should be enough to prevent the temperature from dropping as low as it will tonight.
And, in those places where the sky is relatively clear for a while, low temperatures should occur during the evening before starting to slowly rise after midnight.
As the frigid air loosens its grip on us, sorting out the details of this weekend's storm will be our "next conquest".
A ridge of high pressure on the surface weather map will start to drift eastward on Friday night and Saturday morning.
The origins of the next weather system to impact the Eastern Region will be rooted in the southern Plains early Saturday -- and a conveyor belt of moisture flowing northward from the Gulf of Mexico will spread into the Ohio Valley in the afternoon, then the central and southern Appalachians late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
But, the 'key points' we still want very much to stress about this weekend's precipitation will probably start off as something 'frozen' (snow or sleet for a few hours) before changing to plain rain on Sunday.
The temperature is still expected to climb into the 40s on Sunday. And, we're going to need to remember that although ground temperatures will probably still be low enough to allow rain to freeze on untreated surfaces Sunday morning, the transition to plain rain should occur during midday or early Sunday afternoon.
With this precipitation (rain) expected to end rapidly from west to east on Sunday evening, it doesn't look now like colder air will 'catch up with it' quickly enough to change rain to snow.
However, it will still be turning sharply colder late Sunday night and Monday morning, so there could be some slick spots for Monday morning's commute.
