2018 has opened on an absolutely frigid note. Indianapolis is running an amazing 11° below average through mid-month.
Eight mornings so far this winter have plunged below zero. We’ll see if we can add another to that list this morning (IND is officially at 0° as we write this).
52% of the country is covered in snow. In fact, my old stomping grounds of Auburn, AL received 3″ of the white stuff overnight!
If you’re sick and tired of the cold, wintry conditions relief is on the way. We’ll turn “less cold” through late-week and above normal over the weekend (around 40° Saturday and into the upper 40s Sunday).
A storm system will cut into the ridge Sunday with showers (image 1) followed by “backlash” snow showers and gusty winds Monday (image 2).
Thereafter, models see another storm that will approach the region late next week. Since cold air won’t be readily available, it’ll take the perfect track to get impactful wintry conditions from this next event. We’ll monitor things closely next week. With this near Day 10, models will continue to struggle with timing, track, and intensity over the next few days.
As a whole, the second half of January should run milder than average. However, as we all know, that doesn’t mean we won’t have wintry challenges to deal with. The upcoming (10) days illustrates that nicely. Looking ahead, we note the MJO is forecast to rumble through the warmer phases (especially if you’re reading this from the eastern regions of the country- where we expect warmth to be most anomalous into early February).
Other teleconnections also support a relaxation of the cold, and warmer times, overall, with the exception of the Arctic Oscillation which remains negative through the period.
It should be noted that the longer range data and overall trends, supported by our analogs, suggest winter roars back with authority as we get into February. In fact, winter might not be so quick to leave this year either. Data paints a cold, wintry open to meteorological spring this year, but we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. It is only mid-January, after all. 🙂
However, a cold front will approach the middle part of next week and while this won’t be an efficient rain producer, it will serve to deliver a return of fall-like air as we close September and open October. From a precipitation stand point, rainfall amounts look “anemic” at best over the upcoming 7-10 days.
That will flip around in big time fashion this week as a highly amplified pattern takes hold. The mean trough position will shift into the west and lead to an early taste of winter, including mountain snow. Meanwhile, our region will make up for lost time in the summer department, including highs generally in the mid to upper 80s (around 10° above average).
Daily chances of widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms will be with us beginning today through the majority of the upcoming week. Everyone won’t get wet, but there will be a couple of localized heavy downpours on area radars at times. As dry as we’ve been, we’ll take what we can get.
Eventually, the pattern will “relax” (at least briefly) out towards Day 10. This will feature a more seasonable regime returning to the region, along with better chances of more widespread rains as a cold front approaches. We’ll also have to keep a close eye on additional tropical threats to the southeast region…