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NYC Thanksgiving Weather Update – Nov 24, 2021

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Thanksgiving Day 2021 for NYC shaping up to be the best weather of the week. High pressure will keep an approaching cold front at bay and provide warm, westerly downsloping winds that should push temperatures into the low-50s. Enjoy it while you can, because gusty rains will follow Thursday night with the cold front, then we’re looking at cold temps going into the weekend in the low-40s.

At the surface, high pressure will still predominate our local weather. This will keep rains at bay, while the shallow pressure gradient around the area will lead to light winds. The Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons will surely be flying high over the first spectators to view them since the pandemic started!

Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 8 AM Thursday. High pressure will be to our south while a cold front approaches from the west.

Looking at the forecast soundings at 8 AM Thursday, around parade jump off time, we can see that the boundary layer below 3000 feet should be relatively dry and cloud free, but it does appear that a deck of clouds will be in place from that 3000 feet up. Light winds of 5 knots or less are forecast in this case.

GFS forecast soundings for NYC at 8 AM Thursday

Once the cold front makes its passage overnight Thursday and into Friday morning, the mild weather will come to an abrupt end. Winds will pick up due to an increasing pressure gradient between the strengthening parent low associated with the front and high pressure building over central Canada. The winds should be effective at bringing about cold air advection, transporting this colder, drier continental polar airmass towards us over the weekend. This will result in high temperatures only in the low-40s, clearing skies, and wind chills in the 30s.

NYC Weekend Weather – Nov 20, 2020

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We’ll see warmer than average temperatures around 60ºF to start the weekend before a cool off into the 50s Sunday. Temperatures rise again Monday into the upper-50s with a warm front approaching, then cold front bringing a chance of rain. Looking ahead at Thanksgiving temperatures seem like they should be mild we may see some rain in NYC.

Rest of today – sunny with highs generally in the upper-50s to near 60ºF. High pressure south of the region will lead to southwesterly flow that will bring us these mild temperatures. Overnight lows in the upper-50s.

Saturday – a cold front is forecast to move through during the day, however, this front should be deprived of any significant moisture. Temperatures should remain mild in the upper-50s to around 60ºF once again. It won’t be until the overnight hours when temperatures start to drop in response to the cold front passage, with winds turning towards the north and lows falling into the low-40s.

Weather Prediction Center surface forecast for 7AM Saturday, showing a cold front approaching from the northwest.

Sunday – mostly cloudy with high temperatures cooling off to around 50ºF. A warm front approaching from the southwest should stabilize temperatures and prevent much of a change overnight with lows barely budging in the upper-40s. The warm front, then a cold front following on its heels should bring us a round of showers.

Monday – rain diminishing early on. High temperatures in the upper-50s occurring early in the day prior to the cold front passage. Temperatures dropping steadily during the day after this into the 40s. Overnight lows in the upper-30s.

Looking ahead at Thanksgiving, there could be some rain coming our way though temperatures appear like they should be on the mild side.

GFS model 500 mb vorticity and height forecast for 7AM Thursday. A closed upper low over the Ohio valley is evident with lots of accompanying vorticity. Should this scenario actualize, we would expect to see some showers in our area during the day Thursday.

NYC Weather Update – Nov 25, 2019

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Thanksgiving week starts off with warmer than average temperatures largely in the mid-50s ahead of an approaching storm that should impact the area Wednesday. Behind this storm, temperatures are forecast to drop back into the 40s. Thanksgiving Day will be dry, however, the low responsible for the mid-week storm will deepen as it exits the region, resulting in winds possibly strong enough to ground the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.

Rest of today – partly sunny with high temperatures in the low-50s. Overnight lows heading down into the low-40s with mostly clear skies overnight.

GFS model 500 mb height anomalies, showing positive anomalies over much of the Northeast on Tuesday

Tuesday – southwesterly flow ahead of an approaching cold front/storm system should allow temperatures to warm into the mid-50s. Overnight lows in the mid-40s.

Wednesday – cloudy with high temperatures in the mid-50s. Chance of showers during the day and into the early overnight hours. Decreasing clouds overnight, with lows in the mid-40s and increasing winds.

GFS model output for 1000-500 mb heights, surface pressure, and precipitation

Thursday – mostly sunny with high temperatures around 50°F, winds should be quite breezy with a tight pressure gradient forming around the deepening and exiting low pressure center. Overnight lows in the mid-30s.

NYC Thanksgiving Weather Update – Nov 22, 2016

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Winds finally abate after today. Temperatures rebound later this week, but remain below normal for the forecast period. There is a chance for rain on Thanksgiving Day, as well as Friday. Looking ahead into the first week of December, there could be a couple storms rolling our way.

Today – sunny, less windy, but still cold with temperatures again only in the low-40s. A good day for travel.

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) – cloudy, warmer with a high near 50°F. There is a chance for rain, but that the timing of the rain favors the afternoon after the parade ends. What rain there might be will be light. Winds also will be light, so those balloons at the Macy’s Day Parade should have no problems.

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Friday – rain chances persist, along with temperatures warming to near normal in the low-50s as warmer air flows in ahead of a cold front from the southwest.

Saturday – the frontal system affecting the area Thursday and Friday finally will clear the area. Showers may pop off early, but the skies should slowly clear as temperatures remain around normal in the low-50s.

NYC Weather – Pre-Thanksgiving Storm Back On

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It’s hard to believe now, with air temperatures still hovering around 60 at this hour on Monday, that by Wednesday, our entire region could be looking at accumulating snow! Over the weekend, it has become clear through progressive model runs that the mid-week storm that on Friday looked like it would miss us, is tracking to hit us on Wednesday, leading to a high impact storm just in time for the busiest travel day of the year. We’re talking the whole package: wind, rain, and snow.

Tuesday – we continue to stay in the warm sector of a low pressure system that will be exiting to our northeast through Quebec. Cloud cover will be minimal and we should see temperatures hold around the 60 degree mark.

Wednesday – a complex weather situation develops as a coastal low that forms offshore of the Georgia/Florida border Tuesday makes its way up the Northeast coast. Temperature profiles seem to be pointing towards a mostly snow event (the first big snow storm for the region). With the cold front pushing through late Tuesday, temperatures Wednesday will likely peak in the morning around 40 and start to drop slowly through the day as precipitation moves in across the area, generally from southwest to northeast. Wind will start to pick up, first from the southeast, then east and gradually becoming northeast between 25-35mph.nam-hires_namer_048_1000_850_thick

The tricky part about this forecast is that there is still enough uncertainty in the storm track for there to be some last minute changes. As it currently stands, the center of the strengthening coast low is forecast to move on top of or just west of the 40ºN 70ºW benchmark, a scenario that favors a high-impact nor’easter type event for our region. Winter storm watches are already up over much of the interior Northeast. In these areas, we are looking at anywhere from 4-10″+ (depending on where the heaviest band sets up). Along the coast, under the current forecast track and methodology, it is looking like enough rain mixes in during the day Wednesday to keep snow accumulations from topping 5-6″.

Again the storm track could change, and if the track moves slightly to the east, the heavier snow could hit the city, along with some colder air. Regardless, this does not bode well for people who are doing last-minute traveling for Thanksgiving. I would expect widespread flight delays, while traffic conditions on the road could deteriorate quickly especially later in the day with temperatures dropping and snow beginning to stick.

Thursday – Thanksgiving Day itself looks like it will be OK for the parade, and other activities. The coastal storm will have pulled to our northeast, and any lingering effects should clear up early. Temperatures will be around the 40 degree mark in the city, which means that snow which accumulates will not melt all that quickly.

Friday – will be the coldest day of the holiday stretch, with temperatures only in the mid-30s. Areas of snow that have melted during Thursday could re-freeze.

The remainder of the holiday weekend looks good so far, with no major precipitation anticipated until Sunday/Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NYC Weekend Weather – Nov 20, 2014

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We got a break from the arctic chill briefly today, but temperatures will fall again for Friday as a cold front currently sitting on top of us passes through. High pressure builds in Friday allowing for sunny conditions, but temperatures will still not be that warm. A big warm up is in store for the second half of the weekend and we could be hitting a rainy low-mid 60s by Monday.

Friday – following the passage of a cold front sitting over us now, skies will clear up overnight tonight and allow for excellent radiational cooling, so low temperatures will be generally in the upper 20s in the city. High pressure works its way in Friday, but with the influence of a cool west wind, the high temperature will probably still only be near 40.

Saturday – another nice day, with plenty of sun, and temperatures will be slightly warmer in the mid-40s, but the big warm up won’t occur until Sunday.

Sunday – a low pressure center with its origins over the Texas Panhandle will be moving northeast towards our area. A warm front will rotate around in front of it, allowing for the influx of a comparatively very warm and moist airmass into the area. The chance of rain will increase steadily along with cloud cover throughout the day Sunday such that by the late evening, showers will be likely. High temperatures should be in the mid-50s.

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Significant warm up ahead for the latter half of the weekend going into early next week

Monday – as the forecast map from the Weather Prediction Center below shows, the low pressure system from the map above is forecast to intensify significantly as it pulls northeast. This is a classic, mature mid-latitude cyclone with an occluded low and front (purple line extending from the center of the low), a cold front, and a warm front. The warm front will rotate through first, allowing us to get into the warm sector, where there will be plenty of energy and moisture for rain, which could occur in periods throughout Monday. High temperatures will be balmy in the mid-60s.9khwbg_conus

Thanksgiving Storm?

The chance of a significant Thanksgiving storm is decreasing, though not completely nil. Once the cold front above passes, we’ll see a return to cooler temperatures in the low 50s. It’s worth mentioning that the set up behind the cold should once again favor lake effect snow, so if you’re traveling to any of the usual snow belt areas around the Great Lakes, be prepared.