November 2017 archive

VIDEO: Reinforcing Chilly Air Blows In Tomorrow Night; Touching On December…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/20/video-reinforcing-chilly-air-blows-in-tomorrow-night-touching-on-december/

Extended Stretch Of Unusually Quiet Weather…

High pressure will remain in control of our weather as we open the short Thanksgiving week.  This will supply plentiful sunshine today, along with an increasingly gusty southwest wind by this afternoon (30 MPH).  A cold start (most in the middle 20s) will moderate to near seasonal norms by this afternoon (upper 40s to around 50).

A tightening pressure gradient will result in gusty winds this afternoon.

Reinforcing chilly air will blow into town Tuesday night.  Ahead of this, weak moisture return will lead to a few showers Tuesday afternoon.  Winds will shift to the northwest Tuesday night and help push a colder air mass into the state.  This colder than average theme will continue for Thanksgiving Day, itself.  Highs in the lower 40s Wednesday and Thursday can be expected with lows in the  middle to upper 20s.  Dry weather will quickly return Wednesday and Thursday.

A few light showers will move into town Tuesday afternoon.

Finally, another weak weather maker will approach late Black Friday into the holiday weekend.  This cold front will be enough to generate showers Saturday and will help push another shot of chill into the area as we close the weekend.  Similar to Tuesday afternoon’s rain, amounts will be very light.  In fact, total rainfall with both systems should fall in the 0.10″-0.25″ range.

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/20/extended-stretch-of-unusually-quiet-weather/

Thanksgiving Week Opens Cold…

Highlights:

  • Scattered flurries and snow showers Sunday morning
  • Dry for Thanksgiving travels
  • Rather boring week of weather ahead

November Or December?!  A strong cold front is slipping southeast as we type this forecast Saturday afternoon.  This will result in a much colder close to the day, along with wrap around moisture transitioning to wet snow later this evening across central and northern portions of the state.  Sunday will start off with scattered flurries and snow showers before dry conditions quickly return.  It’ll be an unseasonably cold and blustery day.

As folks begin to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday, high pressure will provide an extended period of dry and rather uneventful conditions.  A dry cold front will pass through the state Tuesday and help reinforce the chill for Thanksgiving, itself.  While we’ll notice gusty breezes at times this upcoming week, precipitation will be hard to come by.

Our next threat of precipitation will arrive this time next week as a cold front moves south.  Expect showers Saturday, followed by a wind shift and coldest air of the season by the second half of next weekend.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • Snowfall: Trace – Dusting
  • Rainfall: 0.10″ – 0.25″

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/18/thanksgiving-week-opens-cold/

VIDEO: Saturday Opens Stormy & Ends Wintry; Looking Towards Late Month…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/17/video-saturday-opens-stormy-looking-towards-late-month/

Weekend Of Changes: Storms To Snow…

Highlights:

  • Big changes this weekend
  • Relatively calm Thanksgiving week
  • Chilly Thanksgiving

Storms To Snow This Weekend…An approaching storm system will lead to an active open to the weekend.  Beforehand, thankfully, we’ll close the work week out on a rather quiet note.  The daytime hours will remain dry before moisture begins to return this evening.  An initial round of showers will move across central Indiana (thinking between 8p-9p) before steadier and heavier rain and embedded thunderstorms blow into town Saturday.  A strengthening surface low will move from the central Plains tonight and into the southern Great Lakes Saturday.  This will lead to a briefly milder surge of air Saturday morning into the early afternoon before a cold front sweeps through the state and leads to a sharply colder close to the day.  Right ahead of the cold front, a skinny, but potentially intense, line of thunderstorms will track across central Indiana late Saturday morning into early Saturday afternoon.  Damaging wind gusts are possible as this thin line of storms advances across central and southern Indiana.  Winds will then shift around to the northwest and help drive much colder air into the region through the afternoon and evening.  In fact, we’ll turn cold enough to allow precipitation to end as a touch of wet snow Saturday evening.

We’ll wrap up the weekend and kick off Thanksgiving week on a much calmer note.  Chilly high pressure will build in Sunday, allowing sunshine to return, but temperatures will run around 15° below normal.  A dry cold front will pass through the state Tuesday.  With the exception of a wind shift and a few more clouds we really shouldn’t expect much more in the way of “excitement.”  This will allow unseasonably cool air to return for Thanksgiving, itself.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • Snowfall: Trace – Dusting
  • Rainfall: 1.00″ – 1.50″

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/17/weekend-of-changes-storms-to-snow/

Digging Deeper As Winter Nears…

Thanksgiving is only a week away (where on earth does time go?!) and more and more folks are asking what we think winter will hold for central Indiana.  In case you missed it earlier this fall, here’s our official Winter Outlook.

We’re continuing to dig in and monitor new data that’s streaming into the office, as well as ocean profiles.  With that said, we wanted to share some of our findings with you this morning with respect to how various ocean regions can impact our weather this winter.

We’re noticing significant changes, particularly in the north Pacific, with the famous “warm blob” emerging (image 1). This is a big factor that aided in persistent cold; wintry weather during the ’13-’14 winter (images 2-3). Notice the difference from last year, too (image 4). This isn’t a full blown cold PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) yet, but trending in that direction and “ups the ante” for cold, wintry conditions, locally this year.

What makes seasonal forecasting so challenging (and fun :-)) are the multiple features that can impact a forecast.  We’ve talked about the importance of ENSO (various types of Nino and Nina events) in past updates, as well as low solar and QBO.  All of these moving parts and pieces are coming together in a manner that seems to be favoring more of a cold, wintry regime, locally, this year.  Is that us saying another blockbuster 2013-2014 winter awaits?  Absolutely not (there are other differences noted above with the SST configuration).  However, it is suggesting that this winter will be absolutely nothing like the past couple…

Might want to think about getting the snow blower tuned up!

More later today on the short-term.  Make it a great Thursday!

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/16/digging-deeper-as-winter-nears/

Multiple Cold Fronts Keep Us Busy…

Highlights:

  • Wet Wednesday
  • 2nd cold front Friday night
  • 3rd cold front arrives Tuesday night

Busy Weather Pattern…Rain is pressing into central Indiana this morning ahead of the first of three cold fronts we’re tracking between now and early Thanksgiving week.  Rain will be most widespread this morning into the early afternoon hours before diminishing mid to late afternoon.  Reinforcing chilly air will blow into town tonight and we’ll be in between storm systems Thursday.

Our second storm system will lead to increasing clouds Friday afternoon with showers and thunderstorms arriving overnight into Saturday morning.  Due to the slower timing of this storm, the late week severe threat has diminished significantly.  Nonetheless, it’ll be a windy afternoon and we’ll notice rising nighttime temperatures Friday as the cold front approaches.  Morning rain will continue Saturday before a sharp transition to much colder conditions with falling daytime temperatures.  We’ll kick off Thanksgiving week on a dry and cold note.

Finally, yet another cold front will approach Tuesday night.  Once this front sweeps through the state, the coldest air of the season will settle into the area just in time for Thanksgiving.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • Snowfall: 0.00″
  • Rainfall: 1.50″ – 1.75″

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/15/multiple-cold-fronts-keep-us-busy/

VIDEO: Unseasonably Cold And Active Pattern Continues…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/14/video-unseasonably-cold-and-active-pattern-continues/

Busy Week Of Weather…

November is off to a chilly start and longer range data suggests the chill grows more significant as we venture through the second half of the month.  Officially, IND is running more than 1° below normal through the 12th.

Despite an active weather week ahead, the open to the new work week will be rather uneventful.  Weak high pressure will keep us dry today and Tuesday.  Fog and low clouds should give way to an increasingly bright sky by this afternoon (still more clouds than sun today) and partly cloudy skies Tuesday.

Our next weather feature approaches Wednesday in the form of a cold front.  This will return showers to the area midweek.  Rainfall amounts Wednesday should generally fall in the 0.25″ to 0.50″ range.

A stronger storm will impact the region as we close out the work week.  Strengthening low pressure will track into the Great Lakes and drag a trailing cold front through our region Friday evening.  A briefly milder southwesterly air flow will push temperatures close to 60° Friday afternoon/ evening before the sharply colder push of air blows into town for the weekend.  The transition may include strong to severe thunderstorms Friday PM, and the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has outlined a large portion of the region under a severe risk Friday.  It’ll be important to stay tuned to future updates.  Even outside of potentially damaging thunderstorm gusts, non-t-storm winds will gust over 40 MPH Friday.

Once the cold front sweeps through the region, a sharply colder air mass will plunge into the Ohio Valley for the weekend.  Overnight data has trended even colder and would suggest falling Saturday temperatures (most of the day will be spent in the 30s) and highs only in the lower to middle 30s Sunday.

Speaking of cold, Thanksgiving week is looking unseasonably cold, and there’s also the potential of early-season snow (far too early for specifics).

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/13/busy-week-of-weather-2/

Tracking A Couple Of Cold Fronts This Week…

Highlights:

  • Calm open to the work week
  • Two cold fronts impact the region
  • Much colder air blows in this weekend

Calm Open; Busy Close…The work week will open with weak high pressure in control of our weather.  This will result in sunshine returning along with unseasonably chilly conditions (average highs are in the mid 50s this time of year).

The first of two cold fronts will push through the state Wednesday.  Clouds will increase Tuesday evening and showers will blow into town Wednesday morning.  Breezy and chilly conditions will go along with the damp weather.

A second (stronger) cold front will impact the area to close the work week.  Strengthening low pressure will move through the Great Lakes Friday evening and help pull a briefly warmer air mass into the state.  Showers and thunderstorms will be widespread ahead of the approaching cold front and a few of these could be strong to severe.  We’ll keep a close eye on things over the next couple of days and update accordingly.  Strong and gusty southwesterly winds will reach 40 MPH+ before shifting around to the northwest once the trailing cold front sweeps through the region.  This will drive a sharply colder air mass southeast and the potential is there for lingering moisture to end as a touch of wet snow late Friday night.  The weekend will feature dry, windy, and unseasonably cold conditions.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • Snowfall:  Trace
  • Rainfall: 1.00″ – 1.50″

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2017/11/12/tracking-a-couple-of-cold-fronts-this-week/

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