Tag Archives: arctic air

NYC Weather Update – Feb 24, 2015

February 24, 2015Climate, NYC, Rain, Snow, Storms, Weather Update, Weekendarctic, arctic air, arctic cold, cold, cold front, new york city weather, nyc weather, nyc wx, snow, winter, winter weather, winter weather nycLei Zhao

After that brief “warmup” during the weekend, we’re once again mired in Arctic cold air. This cold trend continues with a reinforcing shot of cold air as a cold front sweeps through Wednesday. Behind that, high pressure builds in over the area for the end of the week and into the weekend, ensuring another prolonged stretch of chilly, much below normal temperatures.

Wednesday – ahead of what will a dry cold front passing through, high temperatures may be able to climb to just about the freezing mark under mostly sunny skies.

Thursday – once the cold front moves offshore, an area of low pressure will strengthen, but remain well offshore of the area. However, precipitation may still make its way over the region, especially the far eastern areas. There’ll be a chance for snow flurries further west in the city. Temperatures will be back in the mid-20s again in the wake of that cold front.

Friday – clearing skies will be accompanied by stagnant cold temperatures with highs again in the mid-20s.

Saturday – as you’ll se below, a strong 1040mb area of high pressure will be parked over the Ohio Valley will be responsible for the sunny, but cold temperatures through at least Saturday night. Highs Saturday may approach 30ºF. Normal highs for this time of the year are closer to 40ºF.Looking Ahead

814temp.new — Climate Prediction Center’s 8-14 day temperature outlook for March 4th to March 10th, with our region in an area expected to experience below normal temperatures.

The beginning of next week looks to feature a fairly active pattern, with two storm systems passing through, one on Monday, and another on Wednesday. With the current track of the second storm, it looks like we are going to be on the south side of the low pressure center. This would allow for warmer air to wrap into the area. We could top 40ºF again, but the tradeoff will be a slushy, wet day maybe with some mixed precipitation to start. Once this second storm passes through, we return to cold temperatures once again.

NYC Weather Update – Feb 16, 2015

February 16, 2015Climate, Freezing Rain, NYC, Snow, Weather Updatearctic air, arctic airmass, cold, cold front, extreme cold, freezing rain, high pressure, low pressure, snow, weather, winter weatherLei Zhao

Sunday night’s lows were the coldest of the year thus far, indicative of the coldest airmass to hit the area in recent memory. Again, according to climatology, the last time New York City itself hit a low of zero was in January 1994. Unfortunately, the cold snap does not show any signs of abating during the week, although the first half of the week will see daytime high temperatures in the mid-upper 20s as opposed to the teens. We’ll finish the week off back into the teens before a warmup to above freezing with an approaching storm system this weekend. Behind that – you guessed it, another round of arctic air and abnormally cold temperatures.

Rest of today – cold and overcast, with high temperatures not even getting to 20 in the city. Snow should begin falling overnight, with generally light accumulations by daybreak.

Tuesday – slightly warmer with high temperatures in the mid 20s, but also with a chance for snow as a storm system now dumping snow across a vast swath of the South passes well to the south of us. We could still end up picking up 2-5″ of snow in the city, with higher amounts along the south facing shores of Long Island and minimal accumulation north of I-84.

Wednesday – a weak cold front will pass through Wednesday, and may give us a small chance for light snow, otherwise, expecting cloudy skies with high temperatures in the mid-upper 20s.

Thursday – behind that cold front, we get our next shot of Arctic air, with overnight lows into Thursday struggling to hit 10 in the city, and zero and below in outlying inland areas. Daytime highs will only be in the mid-teens despite ample sun. Thursday night, we might get another shot at low temperatures hitting zero in the city, with lows below zero across most inland locations.

Friday – basically a repeat of Thursday, sunny but with brutally cold temperatures in the mid-teens.

Over the weekend – watching for the development of a storm system that could bring some wintry mix/freezing rain to the area, but finally give us a break from below freezing temperatures.

More Cold on Tap to End February

After the weekend storm, we get yet another reinforcing blast of Arctic air to end the month of February. Below, you’ll see the Climate Prediction Center‘s 8-14 day outlook spanning February 23 – March 1. We’re in a region with a greater than 60% probability of experiencing below average temperatures for this period.

Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day outlook for Feb 23 - Mar 1 — Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day outlook for Feb 23 – Mar 1

NYC Weather Update – Jan 28, 2015

January 28, 2015NYC, Rain, Snow, Storms, Weekendarctic air, arctic front, cold, nyc weather, nyc weekend weather, nyc wx, rain, snow, storms, weather, wind chillLei Zhao

On the heels of the nor’easter earlier this week, we get another chance at snow tomorrow night into Friday, albeit of a much lighter intensity. Things get downright frigid after that with low temperatures Friday night in the single digits in the city, and wind chills below zero! The cold locks in over the weekend before we get another chance at precipitation to start off next week, continuing what has been an active weather pattern.

Thursday – clouds increase from west to east, with high temperatures hovering just above freezing. Precipitation begins overnight, and may include some rain/snow mix at the coast (all snow inland), but with minimal accumulations.

We get clipped by a clipper system Thursday night into Friday, with both NAM and GFS models pointing to us being on the periphery of the heavier precipitation.

Friday – light flurries continue into the morning Friday before ending, skies clear quickly while temperatures begin nosediving from a high in the mid-30s during the morning hours to the upper teens by sunset. Winds also pick up from the north and northwest as the departing clipper system from above deepens and the pressure gradient increases between it and a high pressure center over the Midwest. The combination of the cold temperatures and winds will likely induce wind chills below zero, so bundle up before you go out there Friday night.

Saturday – the deep freeze continues, with high temperatures only in the low 20s Saturday despite plenty of sunshine.

Sunday – another day of decent conditions, with clouds increase, but still cold with highs in the upper 20s. Sunday night into Monday, we get another shot at precipitation, although it’s a bit too early to nail down the specifics of this upcoming storm (whether it’ll be rain/snow, rain, or just snow, and how much).

NYC Weather Update – Nov 17, 2014

November 17, 2014Climate, NYC, Rain, Storms, Weather Updatearctic air, cold, cold front, cold spell, new york city weather, nyc weather, nyc wx, warm front, weather, wind chill, winterLei Zhao

The main headline for weather this week will be bitterly cold temperatures that are highly abnormal (in fact, possibly record setting) for this time of the year. We’re talking lows on Wednesday morning in the low 20s in the city, teens and even single digits north and west, and wind chill values in the single digits with a stiff west wind. The cold air finally breaks this weekend, though, with the arrival of a storm system that will push warm air in from the southwest.

Tuesday – high temperatures tomorrow will only be in the mid-30s under sunny skies following the passage of a cold front that’s currently right at our doorstep. Behind this front, breezy west winds between 20-25mph will pick up with wind gusts as high as 35mph. That will translate to wind chill values in the 20s for most of the day tomorrow.

Wednesday – we could break some records for lowest maximum and minimum temperatures Wednesday. Lows overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning may only be in the low 20s, and with a west wind still kicking around 20mph, wind chill values will be in the low teens by daybreak. Temperatures won’t rebound much during the day either, with a high temperature forecast to be barely at the freezing mark.

Thursday – temperatures should rebound considerably with the passage of a warm front late Wednesday and prior to another cold front passing later Thursday. High temperatures should reach the mid-40s. This front will be moisture-starved, so we’re not anticipating any precipitation.

Friday – temperatures will slide back into the upper 30s and low 40s after the cold front.

Warmup this Weekend

We finally snap this bitter cold spell with an influx of warm air from the Gulf streaming ahead of a storm system that will move in next Monday. This weekend should feature gradually warming temperatures, and by next Monday we could hit 60 briefly.

NYC Weather Update – Nov 11, 2014

November 11, 2014Climate, NYC, Rain, Snow, Weather Update, Weekendarctic air, arctic oscillation, climate, cold, cold weather, fall, new york weather, nyc weather, nyc wx, rain, snow, winterLei Zhao

I hope you all took advantage of this gift of incredibly warm weather that coincided with a federal holiday, because that’s going the be the last gasp of mild weather for at least the next 7-10 days. As you probably heard, we are going to get walloped by an arctic airmass the latter half of the week that will bring an abrupt end to fall temperatures and make it feel like we jumped straight into winter – I’m talking high temperatures that won’t even get out of the low 40s by week’s end. Before you ask, no this is not a polar vortex – it will be damn cold nonetheless.

Wednesday – this will be the last day we get above 60 degrees for quite a while. We are currently in a warm sector in between a warm front that pushed through earlier this week and ahead of a cold front that will be open the door to an arctic airmass swinging down from Canada. High temperatures in the Central Plains and Intermountain West where this airmass has already taken hold are ranging from the teens to the 30s. But Wednesday, we’ll still be in the mid-60s, although it won’t be as pleasant as today with a foggy and cloudy start to the day. Once the cold front below passes, clouds should clear quickly and lead to excellent conditions for radiational cooling, with low temperatures dropping into the low 40s and into the 30s in the interior areas north and west.
Thursday – it won’t be that cold just yet, with high temperatures still expected to hit the low 50s. But clouds will again increase ahead of a second, quick-moving storm system that is expected to pass through Thursday night into Friday. This will be the real arctic sledgehammer that brings seriously cold air into the region. There will be enough energy and moisture in the atmosphere for the possibility of rain/snow mix on Thursday night and even all snow in the city Friday morning.

Friday – skies should clear quickly during the day Friday, but despite all the sun, temperatures will struggle to hit the mid-40s. Arctic air will be firmly entrenched from this point on until as long as Thanksgiving!

Saturday – High pressure will be in control Saturday, high temperatures will have a difficult time hitting 40 though, because the setup of the high will favor northerly winds. Sunday – yet another storm system brings us the chance for some precipitation. Behind that system – you guessed it, more cold air and temperatures that will be two standard deviations below normal for this time of year, as per our local forecast office.

For those of you who are interested in the long-term outlook, based on forecast models and the arctic oscillation index forecast, it looks like this blast of cold air will be sticking around with us for at least the next 7-10 days, and may not break until Thanksgiving. The Arctic Oscillation measures the climate pattern of winds circulating at high latitudes close to the arctic. When it is in it’s negative phase (as is about to be the case, on the right end of all the charts below), higher pressure tends to dominate over the arctic while lower than normal pressure occurs in mid-latitudes (i.e. our area). Air tends to flow from areas of high pressure towards areas of low pressure, so this pattern sets up favorable conditions for the intrusion of bitterly cold air into our region.

LZ | Weather

Weather updates & posts for NYC region