12/10/11 SADD people, the peak of darkness is here!

We have entered that time period on the calendar when the earliest sunsets of the year will occur. Here in Boston that time is an early 4:12 PM.  The earth, as it makes its orbit around the sun is about to tilt furthest away from the sun in the northern hemisphere. However, the way the orbit is aligned (without getting too technical) is skewed some so that the earliest sunsets happen the weeks before the solstice and the latest sunrises occur the weeks after th solstice. Have no fear!  December 21, is still the shortest day of the year,  9 hours 5 minutes of daylight in Boston. 

You will also not that in the sky, how low the sun is on the horizon. As the winter solstice approached, the sun will only rise to 24 degrees above the horizon, casting long shadows even in the noon sun and its transit across the sky is very short compared to the summer sun which reaches 71 degrees above the horizon. The position of the sun on the image above is relative to angle in the sky above Boston.  The winter sun also sets south of West in the winter at 237 degrees.

The weekend weather looks to be great, but cooler and more December like. A few clouds this morning will give way to sunshine and no storms are seen in the short term forecast. A storm pattern out of Texas will shape our weather for late in the week ahead, with no major cold seen.

12/8/11 The first Arctic airmass moves in!

I am sure for a while, many of you have thought, where is winter, or at least, it does not feel like Christmas weather. Then you hear of places like Texas or Mississippi receiving snowfall and you are wearing shorts in Boston. Somthing just did not seem right.

This graph of the temperatures at Boston tell the storm of how warm it has been since October 1, 2011. The coldest temperature was only 31 degrees (at the airport). Many areas have fallen into the 20s, but it is still indicative of how warm it has been. One day below freezing!

This will change this weekend as a shot of arctic air finally pushes south over the Northeast and will allow temperatures to fall to or below normal, at least for a few days.

The pinks and purples on this map are cold temperatures with the deepest purples still over Canada. However this airmass will allow all areas to drop into the teens and 20s for overnight lows and only allow daytime highs to reach about 40 in the Boston area. Outlying areas will be cooler.  However, not the mild (green) air over the northern plains, this will move back into the area later next week, but will not last as shots of cooler air get reinforced.

Overnight Saturday will be one of the coldest mornings of the season so far across New England.

Note:  My 5 day forecast is for the general Boston metro area and is likely an average of what you can expect across Boston. (Official readings are at the airport, and only a few of you live in that location) So I try to incorporate some of the surrounding areas as well.

12/6/11 It's Going to Feel more Like Christmas

Colder air is on the way, but we will have one more day of temperatures in the mid 60s!!

Rain and drizzle will be with us for the next 48 hours as a cold front slowly pushes through the area to bring in some more seasonable temperatures for early December.

A coastal storm will likely pass out to sea on Thursday and remain weak and will just give a brief shower. Some higher elevations could see some snow or sleet.

A clipper system pushes by on Saturday to possibly squeeze out some snow showers.

12/1/11 A calmer, cooler period ahead.

As we enter December, we can expect some December like temperatures.  Overall we will be closer to normal today than we have been.

December weather highlights!

The weather pattern is in a quiet mode with the exception of a weak cold front over the plains. This will push through tonight and bring in a push of cooler air, but no major cold outbreaks. I foresee this being a pattern at least until later next week, when it becomes more amplified, a push of cold, followed by a return to mild and back and forth. 

A cold front in the middle of the country will bring cooler air from Montana into New England for Saturday

A significant push of colder air will come in next Wednesday into Thursday in which it will be cold, but short lived. This push though will change the weather pattern to one of more possible storms moving up the coast, something we have not seen in a few weeks. More to come....

11/29/11 A humid November day???

Does that sound right? Humid November day?  Yes, warm moist air is being transported from the deep south into New England today. Dew Point temperatures will reach the mid 50s, so yes, you may feel a bit sweaty today when walking around in the mild air!

Today - Mild, humid south wind high of 65!

Tonight - Rain arrives, heavy at times, low of 59!!

A large storm over the South is allowing warm air to flow north into New England today as it winds up!

A map of temperatures of the image above showing a cold pool over the south, cut off from the main flow of the jet stream.

A complicated weather map this morning, with the RADAR. Blue areas are snow. It is snowing in Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina where it will be in the 60s in Boston today.   A cold front will keep northern New England cooler as it retreats north during the day as a warm front. The rain will push through overnight tonight. The Cold Front over the Great Lakes is a kicker and will push this mess away during the day on Wednesday and bring in cooler air

Next week we can look forward to more December like weather as colder air flows in from Canada, however I do not see a pattern of extreme cold where mild days will ebb and flow with the cold.

11/22/11 Pre Turkey Day Storm!

A cold start to the morning today with many locations in the lower teens in NH VT and Maine, Boston was 34, due to the ocean air, but just inland temperatures fell way below freezing.

This cold air mass will help set up a major storm for the evening tonight into Wednesday, especially for areas north of Boston.

Up to a foot of snow could fall in some areas!  Luckily for those traveling in MA, it will be too warm and rain will fall.  However, a change over to light snow at the very end of the storm late Wed night is possible for all areas.

Travel north into NH, VT or Maine could be tricky and treacherous.

The storm will not be a typical Nor'easter however, as it will be already developed as seen on the satellite image this morning over Missouri. There is not a dip in the jet stream to have it ride up the coast or get a lot of energy from the Atlantic Ocean.

Weather map for mid day Wednesday showing the low track south of Cape Cod, heavy rain is expected in Mass. Colder air will filter in behind this storm to bring light snow showers,

Most of the east from the Rockies to the Atlantic will be sunny!  Rain in the Pacific coast and Snow in the northern Rockies at high elevations!

As a note, the cold arctic air that is building in Alaska will be making a dip south come December!

11/20/11 More warmth...

A 65 degree day in November is a very nice treat. Isn't odd how we think of this as being warm, when in July, 65 for a high would be a chilly day?   Then again too a July 65 would be very humid and sticky, today will be nice and dry.

A strong breeze from the southwest ahead of a cold front will bring in the warm temperatures, winds could gust as high as 40 mph on the Cape later today!!

Most areas across Massachusetts will be in the 60s today!

A cold front will push through late tonight into Monday morning, bringing in a much cooler airmass for the week. However the weather pattern is very zonal and there are no major dips to bring the cold air in with a rush, so most of it will stay locked in Canada.
Temperatures will fall to the 40s by Monday.

A potential strong rain storm will approach New England on Wednesday, with wind and heavy rain. It will be warm ahead of the front. Cold air wraps in behind the storm and will likely end as a light snowfall.  Heavy snow could fall in Northern Maine and New Brunswick and Quebec.

Travel will be hampered on Wednesday with a heavy rains.