Good Wednesday, everyone. Another arctic front is ready to blast the bluegrass state with a reinforcing shot of bitterly cold temps and some snow showers. This comes as part of an historic winter pattern across much of the country.
This is one of the more amazing winter patterns you are ever going to see across the lower 48 and it’s producing a major winter storm across the southeast. This storm will then turn into a blizzard across the northeast…
That is one amazing looking storm as it wraps up. You may see this thing take on an eye-looking feature on Thursday. Wow.
That storm obviously misses us, but our arctic front and ensuring strong northwest flow, will produce some snow showers. My thoughts on the potential have not changed…
Light accumulations are very possible from this evening into Thursday, especially across central and eastern Kentucky. With the bitterly cold temps, you won’t need very much moisture to produce snows… Similar to what happened on New Year’s Eve.
The front itself may have a line of snow showers or squalls along it as it approaches the state from the northwest…
Bitterly cold temps come in behind this front. Here’s a breakdown:
- Temps by Thursday morning drop into the single digits, with wind chills going below zero.
- Friday and Saturday mornings look brutal with lows from -5 to +5. Wind chills from -5 to -15 will be possible.
- Highs will generally run in the teens through Saturday.
There’s one more chance for some flakes to fly, with a disturbance passing through on Friday.
I’m closely watching the late Sunday into Monday setup for the potential for a mixed bag of weather that can create icy conditions. Regardless of precipitation type, a frozen ground is going to come into play.
I’ve mentioned a colder solution showing up on the models, and the Canadian is trying to blow this up into more of a true winter event…
We shall see about that, but the frozen ground has me concerned. You will also notice the snow coming behind that system, as arctic air dives back in.
Another winter weather system comes in right behind that one.
I will have your usual round of updates coming later today, so check back. Have a wonderful Wednesday and take care.
Our electric bills for those on all electric are going to be horrible!
For Sure.
Yeah got mine yesterday for December..3 times higher than November!! I about stroked out!! And we get no snowstorm out of this crazy cold outbreak!!!
8 below right now at my house in Southern Ohio. It always drops just before daylight. So it might go lower yet.
-9 for me so far
2 degrees at 7 am in Covington, KY.
Frozen tundra with rain could spell problems. Model waffles with maple syrup.
I simply can’t buy the GFS solution right now, as it shows rain all the way up into northern Ohio by Monday–even rain into the midwest at the onset of the storm…..okay then……..
anybody listening to its runs right now is going to be in for a rude awakening when it decides to flip the script.
Number one rule of meteorology… never pay attention to what the GFS is showing more than 24hrs out…
Ac your right, that’s why Chris has been saying all along he’s watching this system it may get ugly.
Licking River @ Covington has a thin layer of ice on the surface this morning. Wondering how solid we can get it and the Ohio River by Saturday morning. We haven’t been above the upper 20’s in 10 days already.
Meh!!!
The Canadian is fun to look at but has been wrong every single time this season don’t think it will change with this weekend storm either imo
This morning was a whole 4 degrees warmer than yesterday in Raceland, we were at 2 this morning around seven. I’ll take it! 🙂 On my drive to Huntington this morning there was a lot of freezing fog near the Ohio river and the river had a good coating of ice on it!
Anybody want to set up a betting pool for snow total estimate for winter?
Thinking:
100:1 = more than 10″
50:1 = more than 5″
5:1 = more than 2″
Seems the 5:1 is the best bet, but still not guaranteed money.
Oh just for fun, I’ll g with 100:1. I teach math, and that would be my favorite winter ratio! ❄️
I will take $50.00 on the over 10″.
Snow on the beaches..Lovely.
Chris is the only one calling for the chance of snow showers in the Ashland area tonight and tomorrow with light accumulations possible. No local weather is mentioning anything about it. We will see who wins out on this one! Not expecting much but a dusting would be nice!
There looks like some snow on radar right now. But as usual it is up near I70. That’s why none of the locals are predicting any flakes. But they will predict rain for Monday, almost a week away, and do it confidently.
I wouldn’t claim a win if we did get a dusting that would be like claiming a win on rain totals down to the hundreth of an inch or less.
Dusting is more than enough for a snow day. That’s a win in my book
I’ve only looked at the Euro’s last night run and saw what CB is talking about. Temps near the ground appear to push into the 40’s, then drop quite suddenly at onset of precipitation down to the upper 20’s to 32 degrees for several hours, primarily central Ky. But, rain would be the dominant p-type. Any ice amounts look to be on the order of up to 0.2″; hopefully, most areas less.
This was for the late weekend event btw.
My brother just moved to near Jacksonville Florida to get away from the winter weather! Lol. Hope we don’t get the ice.
Morning GFS run is much further south with the weekend low which would mean a colder solution. Another 100 mile shift south and some of us could be in the jackpot zone. Trends are good … as Mr Bailey has been alluding to could/would happen. Rodger in Dodger
Still the jackpot would only be an inch at best
Chris Bailey is correct in his concern for pavement and precipitation–as of 11:25 this morning the Clays Ferry Bridge over the KY River on I 75 : Air is 23.1* Pavement is 18.5* and Subsurface is 27.2*. These temps will maintain or drop more thus setting up a dangerous situation. Be wise as you drive/commute…..look out for that OtherGuy who is too self-sure and the cause of accidents.
The sun is moving things right along this morning. Hopefully that will help road conditions for those that aren’t able to navigate slick roads.
That monster storm that is organizing and moving up the East coast…here’s a new weather word: Explosive cyclogenesis (also referred to as a weather bomb, meteorological bomb, explosive development, or bombogenesis) refers in a strict sense to a rapidly deepening extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area. Bombogenesis!
Haven’t heard that term much since the explanation analysis of the NWS in 98 of the so called “Dusting” in the lower Ohio valley.
They can have it 🙂 I like the lack of issues due to big snow: more salt, driving issues, snow plow mess, shoveling huge driveway and walkway, dogs paths, even colder temps due to snow pack…… Seriously, the two winters in a row of essentially nothing has provided clarity of how practical now snow can be!
Seinfeld winters rule!
Ol Doc is amazed at mother nature at her best, what a monster the low pressure taking a trip up the east coast is and will become, as th is thing winds up they may see close to record setting low pressure gradients. Couple that with amazing contrasting high pressure readings in the Midwest. Wow. Folks we have to get some moderating temps coupled with some moisture laden air to get in on the snow fun. At this point bout all we can do is set back, keep warm and Wait…Doc