As we rumble through the remainder of 2016, a “transient” weather pattern awaits. Cooler, more seasonable, air is working itself into the Ohio Valley today and will be followed by another (stronger) cold front Thursday. That front will pack more of a punch in the cold department, along with providing opportunity for snow showers, as well. That said, we’re still about a week off from more of a sustained cold pattern.
With the arrival of the new year, a new weather pattern will emerge as well…
The EPO (East Pacific Oscillation) and WPO (West Pacific Oscillation) will flip back to negative phases as the New Year arrives. This will help drive the shift, initially, to a colder regime, locally.
Accordingly, we see the ensemble data flipping to a colder pattern over the upcoming (10) days. Note the low anomalies in the higher latitude regions today (Image 1) versus Day 10 (Image 2).
The pattern developing by Day (10) is one capable of producing another frigid regime- only January style. Cross-polar flow sets up shop and, unlike, December, some blocking is noted, as well. This can help the mean storm track shift further south. (Bye-bye Great Lakes cutters, though Mid Western and Ohio Valley Snow Lovers will find a new worry in the form of suppression potential ;-)). Individual storms will have their respected challenges, as always. As a whole, it’s a very cold, stormy look and a pattern capable of leading to an expanding snow pack across the Lower 48.
Notes: The new European Weeklies are in and reflect the general idea here of a more sustained cold, wintry pattern unfolding as January arrives. The Weeklies are very cold through Weeks 2-3, in particular. As far as snow goes, they also suggest an active storm track with numerous storms leading to an increasingly snowy regime through the middle parts of January, as well. That said, we’re a bit hesitant to focus too much on the long-term snowfall details as the Weeklies have been too generous in the snow department over the past several weeks. As a whole, it’s very tough to argue the pattern isn’t one that should yield the snowy “goods” in the coming weeks though.
More later!