Our roller coaster 2019 is set to continue.
It has felt like early spring for the better part of this week, with above average temperatures and periods of rain. That will change this weekend as colder air arrives and remains into next week. With Tuesday’s warmth and no significant snow since November, there are many rumblings that winter is on life-support.
Let’s take a deep breath. We still have a long way to go.
Friday will be last spring-like day before changes arrive. Showers and perhaps even a few rumbles of thunder will end around lunchtime before skies clear in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected well into the 50s, but they will fall rapidly as we head into the evening. By Saturday morning, the mercury will sit in the 20s! It will also turn quite blustery into Friday night with northwest gusts over 30 mph. That will create a wind chill down in the teens.
Despite abundant sunshine, highs on both Saturday and Sunday won’t escape the 30s. Much colder, yes, but also on par for early February.
With powder lovers desperate for any measurable snow, there will indeed be a chances as we look to next week. First, a minor system passes by on Monday morning. Snow showers are likely, but not much more than that. On its heels however is a more robust system, which arrives Tuesday. This is the same storm that will bring up to a foot of snow to the Seattle area this weekend.
It is also a trickier storm. While precipitation of some form is likely, computer models have wavered as to what exactly that will mean for Long Island. This storm will actually have two centers – one an area of low pressure over the Great Lakes, the other a developing coastal low off the Mid-Atlantic. The latter is my main focus, as this piece of energy would potentially enhance precipitation, while also dipping into the colder air already in place. This would initially mean snow for the entire area, but whether it stays snow or changes to rain at some point is dependent on the track of the storm. This will become clearer in the coming days.
