Friday, January 10, 2014

a mid-winter feel... (pm.10.jan.14)>

Friday's stats:

Low temp: 39.6F (4.2C)
High temp: 43.2F (6.2C)
Precipitation: trace

We've been living through the coldest day of this winter season... and as you can see from the stats above, the thermometer barely moved today.  There were glimpses of sun at the very start of the day, then again at the very end, but grey clouds were the order of business, along with a few brief and fleeting flurries of granular snow, which actually looked like a hybrid of hail, sleet and snow.  It is mostly cloudy just after sunset, and the temp is hovering just above 40F (4.4C).

Today's unsettledness/instability is due to the second in our double-barreled upper-level disturbance set which is now centered right along the Punjab/Pakistan border, just southwest of Amritsar.  Winds aloft are from the southwest, ahead of the circulation center, while winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere are more from the south and southeast.  In the highest levels, it is nearly calm, at the center of the coldest pool of air to visit northern India this season.  We're getting a bit of a clash of air masses this evening as the frigid air above meets the milder and more moisture-laden air getting pulled northward at the surface.  This will keep a fairly good chance of some showers of sleet and snow in the forecast overnight, although accumulations should be light, if anything at all.  Just don't be surprised if there is a coating of snow somewhere around our area by sunrise tomorrow.

What's left of this upper-level system will be near Chandigarh in 12 hours, and then shift rapidly northeastward during the day as some very quick and aggressive warming in the mid- and upper-levels kicks in.  That will lead to a welcome moderation in temperatures for us as the new week arrives -- and we should get back above 50F (10C) in a matter of just a couple of days.

Still... there will be a parade of weak disturbances rippling through during the coming week.  We may see a shower or two on Monday into Tuesday, with alternating clouds and sun otherwise.

The CURRENT FORECAST is available on the tab above.