Friday, December 16, 2016

Polar Opposites

The Nation will be split in half this weekend with brutally cold temps up north and near record warmth in South Florida. The jet stream has taken a dive south and opened the door for the bone chilling arctic air to invade the Northern Rockies, Upper Midwest and eventually the Northeast.


The forecasts suggests that by Saturday morning, the lows could dip to 19 below zero in Billings with windchill readings possibly near 30 below.

The Arctic Blast will churn towards the Dakotas, Minnesota, and the Great Lakes by Sunday.



Minneapolis is expected to drop to 13 below zero with colder windchill readings by Sunday morning.

The cold air will then creep into the Northeast by the start of next week.

 

But Mother Natures' Winter assault doesn't end there. A big storm is developing in the Plains aiming for the northeast. An area of low pressure with a trailing cold front is setting up from Kansas west through the Pacific Ocean. It will dash northeast over the next 24 hours.



Ahead of the winter storm warm moist air heads up the Eastern Seaboard. This moist air will cause rain, but where it runs into cold air it will lead to snow.

Some areas from Minnesota through Michigan could see significant accumulations.


South Florida will stay under the domain of High Pressure which will keep the wind out of the SSE ushering in very warm air for this time of year. The record in Miami for Saturday is 85° and that is what we are forecasting. By the way Winter starts next Wednesday but I don't think it'll make an appearance here anytime soon.