WEATHER BLOG: Clear Skies, Chilly
Under a mainly clear sky this morning, it is very chilly -- but not even close to being as windy as it was much of yesterday.
As of this writing, the core of a large high pressure system was located in central New York State. This ridge of high pressure has brought some very dry air to much of the Eastern Region, and most dewpoint temperatures east of the Appalachians were still in the single digits as of early today. So, as this weather system begins to drift off of the Northeast coast today, there will be a decent amount of sunshine early, and folks will be waking up to temperatures mostly in the 20s or the lower 30s.
There'll be a tendency for high clouds to start dimming the sun this afternoon, and these clouds should start to lower and thicken as we head into the evening rush hours. As moisture associated with a low pressure system in the Lower Mississippi Valley continues to spread out across the eastern third of the nation later tonight and tomorrow, the weather around here will deteriorate rather quickly. Rain should start before daybreak in most of the big cities located near the I-95 corridor -- and will probably be close to midnight in places like Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Much of the week, we've talked about the possibility of rain starting off as "rain mixing with some sleet" during the pre-dawn hours of tomorrow... And, while this is still not out of the question, we must point out that it will be due to evaporative cooling taking place with 30-60 minutes of the onset of precipitation. During that time, temperatures should be no lower than the mid-30s, so there won't be any significant ice-related problems. Any sleet pellets will get washed away by rain very quickly.
We still are 'on track' for getting a general 0.50" to 1.00" of rain starting late tonight and lasting through tomorrow. We do have some concerns that this could cause flooding of some poor-drainage areas, as well as on some rivers and streams. As far as streets and highways are concerned, it is possible -- but we can also be thankful this soaking rain didn't happen about four or five days ago, when there was still quite a bit of snow left on the ground from the storm we had late last week..
We expect the temperature to be no higher than the the lower 50s today, and most of Saturday's temperatures were adjusted upward yesterday afternoon. High temperatures will be in the 50s tomorrow, assuming there is a tendency for most of the rain to occur between the hours of 4 a.m. and noon -- then as a 'dry slot' starts to open up across the mid-Atlantic states and surface winds shift to the southwest, the rain will begin to taper to showers before nightfall... In those places which can actually witness the sky 'brightening' somewhat by 2 or 3 p.m. -- the temperature could actually make a run at 60.
Our thoughts about the rest of the forecast period remain the same. Sunday, while it won't be as 'soggy' as tomorrow, there probably will be a shower or two around beneath a pool of some very chilly air aloft... This will especially be true if there are a few peeks of sunshine. High temperatures should be mostly in the low-50s, and there will be clearing occurring on Sunday night. Monday will be a mild day with a fair amount of sunshine early, then clouds will probably start to increase late. The next front approaching from the north and west will be arriving either late on Monday night or early Tuesday, and it could bring with it a couple of showers. Have a good weekend!!
