The Siberian Express

The ForecastIt has been quite warm this week in the Mid-Atlantic with highs approaching the low 50's compared to the previous weeks when the temperatures struggled to reach 40. The National Weather Service calls for highs in the 50s for the remainder of the week accompanied by rain.
While we bask in the relative warmth for the rest of the week, the setup increasingly favors a cold, cold, December. As we speak, a winter storm is dropping down from Canada. However, this storm will only give us rain. It will be followed by a storm that is poised to be a major winter storm in the cnetral US. this will also be rain maybe with a little sleet on the onset. After the next bout of rain coming in near the end of the week, temperatures will plummet. The forecast high for Tuesday, December 10th is only 35 degrees.

Winter storms approaching the East Coast

The GFS model portrays a wet and cold pattern for the Mid Atlantic area with a few chances for snow. However, due to the uncertain nature of long range forecasts, the details will not be finalized until the storm is approaching the immediate area. The rain/snow line in this area is notoriously difficult to predict and the difference in temperature of a few degrees can differentiate between a major winter storm and a cold rain.

Total modeled precipitation through December 11th gives 2.5 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation for our area.

Cross Polar Flow

Cross polar flow is typically when weather pattern allows cold air from siberia to directly travel across the arctic and enter North america. This often results in bone chilling temperatures. Below is a diagram showing modeled anomalies in the 500mb height, which represents the elevation abouve sea level of a certain pressure reading. Lower heights means lower temperatures.

The European model forecasts temperatures at 7AM on Wednesday next week to be in the low teens to single digits. This cold blast will arrive on Tuesday after the second storm.

Winter is kicking into full swing and hopefully we can score a decent snowstorm or two out of this cold snap. The bananas won't like it much though... single digit temperatures cannot be good for a plant that is essentially a column of water...

A final note: If there are any errors or things that you do not understand in these posts, please do not hesitate to ask me for clarification.

Thanks for reading!

 -Alex