Good Wednesday, folks. It’s the final day of January and we are sending the month out on a very nice weather note. As we roll into month 2 of the year, it’s a rather harsh looking winter pattern taking shape for much of the country, including right here in Kentucky.
Temps out there today will be near 50 in most areas, with a mix of sun and clouds. Gusty southwesterly winds will increase ahead of a cold front shooting in here quickly on Thursday.
Rain will increase on Thursday as this system zips through the state at a brisk pace. Colder air catches the back edge of the rain, switching it over to a period of wet snow.
The newest models are just a touch snowier…
GFS
Canadian
The European Model continues to spit out the light accumulations…
The potential for a couple inches of wet snow is certainly there, especially in the south and southeast. I may do a first call in the next update.
Frigid temps come in behind this on Friday, but the focus is on what is shooting in here for the weekend. A series of light snow makers will work across our region from late Saturday through early next week. The GFS is trying to ramp this up into something more than light…
The GFS Ensembles continue to be a littler excited…
The European Model has a stronger system like the GFS is showing, but is farther north with it, setting up the fence across Kentucky.
In contrast, the Canadian Model is south..
Sunday is “threatable”.
The overall pattern setting up across the Northern Hemisphere is highly anomalous, with massive blocking surrounding North America…
That basically puts the Polar Vortex across Canada, with it taking stabs at us here in the states. The end result is an almost endless supply of cold, with the potential for bitter cold. Watch this animation of the temperature departure through the middle of February…
This isn’t too dissimilar to what we saw take shape from late December through mid January. However, this is centered farther west, potentially putting our region in a much snowier than normal setup.
February has a chance to deliver some memorable winter weather around here, and for much of the country.
I will have updates later today, so check back. Make it a good one and take care.
At least the days are getting longer. Brighter sunshine will help going into February.
Alright! MOre time to get things done! Now I finally get my 25 hour day! 🙂
What I meant was. Daylight in the day is getting longer. Not the days are getting longer.
Oh no! I am so #dissapointed! 😉
A rare heavy snow for some higher elevations of Morocco in Africa, of all places…..
http://twitter.com/StormchaserUKEU/status/958384557774049280
Seems this season has had snow in a lot of locations that rarely get the white stuff (such as Corpus Christi TX). Meanwhile, snow lovers like my wife in our part of the world have had to endure some bitter cold but little snow. Can’t forget people like me that are ready for spring. It will be interesting what the next month or so will hold.
I’m thinking another active severe weather year, even in spite of ‘quiet’ January. La Nina should contribute greatly. Looks like another active year for the tropics too.
Mike S : Three years in a roll of ENSO La nina ? I would think that it would shift to ENSO neutral later this winter and spring. I would be surprised if we have another very active hurricane season, that’s when I would suspect weather manipulation. Has anyone looked for the posibility of ENSO El nino for the Autumn and Winter 2018-19 ?
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.pdf
Excited!!!
Our forecast in the Lake Cumberland Area says not to grow too fond of any snow that may fall early Sunday morning….afternoon temps are forecast at 39!
Everything looks like the typical rain then backside flurry events. Anybody that does get a dusting it will be short lived with the temps above freezing then jumping back to 50 before the next rain event.
Same old phrase Jimbo gotta be positive when there snow chances. Watch weather channel this morning there saying same thing what Chris has posted this morning. This could be a decent snow makes for our area.
Did you even read Chris’s thoughts on the next few weeks?? I know Thursday isn’t going to pan out like we thought, but sheesh, such negativity! Especially considering the nice snowfall your area got a few weeks ago.
When did he get snow?
He lives in western part of WV, same as me. We got a really nice snow with that slow system a few weeks ago (over 7 inches here in Barboursville).
I noticed Chris didn’t tweet on the game last night.
CATS!!!!
I guess I should just hold on to the word “chance” for some snow, but Vandy had a chance to win last, close but didn’t happen. Let’s just hope some snow can win around cky (light or heavy)!!
Everybody have a great day!
I was there last night and tired. I was thinking pleeeease not another overtime. Gotta go to work early 🙂
Vandy pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. Made their free throws all night and then choked. The foul with two seconds was nuts. Cats played sloppy and the lack of a point guard is very apparent. Still, they won 🙂
Thanks Chris for all your hard work. This can’t be said too many times. The Ventusky ( wind, precipitation and temperature map ) which shows the upper level winds agreeing with the model you displayed this morning with the blocking in the Arctic. Currently, we are in a fast west to east flow, which wont allow any one system to last long enough to cause any significant weather events. This pattern will likely change with the trough setting up to our west, and hopefully bring in Gulf moisture to bring major snowstorms into the Ohio Valley. Have a great Wednesday !
Here in Pennsylvania where I am there calling for up to a foot of snow with the Sunday system followed with another system that might drop another foot of snow. If that happens that would put the season total towards the 8 foot mark for snowfall this season. And it is only February.
Well, CB noted Fence as a model option and Kentucky is truly the meteorological fence of the country. I choose the fence one based on past results 😉
Where are you? I have friends from PA, and they have not had that much, but it’s a big state. 🙂
I live south of Erie. My uncle lives in Erie and he has gotten over 12 ft of snow this year.
Thank God for Lake Erie and the cold northwest wind from the Polar jet. Have you ever thought of taking up snow sculpturing ?
No but my youngest son went snowman crazy back in December we had several snowmen in our yard.
Regardless what happens, at least we have a fighting shot with this kind of setup. On a Side note, all weather models have been pretty bad lately.
Snow is fine with me, bitter cold is not.
AGREED !