Good Sunday, everyone. It’s another mild and mainly cloudy day across Kentucky and we even have a little rain making a run at our southern counties. This mild weather takes us through Christmas week, but what comes after that? This is the big question and it’s one winter weather lovers are going to like a whole lot more.
Let’s begin with today and the chance for a little southern rainfall. The best chance comes very late today into early Monday and is confined to far southern and southeastern Kentucky. If we can get just one sprinkle north of the Tennessee border at some point through Monday, my tracking mission will be accomplished! 🙂
Here’s regional radar…
Temps are deep into the 50s and this is a trend that takes us through Christmas Day and likely through next Friday and Saturday. Temps may eventually make a run at 60 on a widespread basis.
Next weekend, the changes begin as cold air enters the country once again. We’ve seen how the Ensembles have been showing deepening troughs taking control of the country and now the operational models are keying on this…
To see the return of winter into much of the country, look no further than the snow map from the ensembles. Here’s the snow map for the next 7 days…
Now, let’s add another week to that…
As I look at the pattern setting up for January, it looks similar to the one we had back in November. That one delivered very cold temps and even some record snows. If we can get that same pattern in the heart of winter, it could be fun.
I will have another update later today, so check back. Have a wonderful Sunday and take care.
If it can’t be measured, it don’t count.
The truth! I was begging for a crumb the other day. This is at the very least a crumb.
Here is to hoping that January through March can throw enough crumbs at us that we can make at least an average sized winter meal, LOL.
LOL…I hate recording traces!
Trends, rain continues in January, seasonal to above temps. We may close to exiting the trend phase, and just call it normal seasonal weather by the end of this winter
I will take normal, though prefer above normal, especially on snowfall if that happens. Right now, I am in about the luckiest section of the entire Ohio Valley region for snowfall and have 3 and 1/2 inches of snow on the season. As pathetic as that sounds, I have (barely) beat out the entire last winter season at my house.
We only have five inches of snow this season so far here in the SW suburbs of Chicago (most of which fell in November) so you’re not far behind us, Terry!
Coming into this month, Chicago needed just a little over two inches of water-equivalent precipitation to break its all-time record for the wettest year ever, which was 50.08 inches in 2008.
December has been exceedingly dry though, with just .17 inches of precipitation so far, and less than an inch of snow. With little precipitation, if any, in the forecast for at least the next week here, it looks like the record set back in 2008 will be safe.
WOW…unusually dry for December, and any month of the year for that matter. I am at 60.17 in on the year-to-date, still a lot but almost 10 inches less than last year which was 70.05, and record wettest, at least in modern history of record keeping. We average a lot more rain down here than in your location; however, over 50 inches for you is a lot and a few inches higher than my annual average if 48 in!
LOL…If I receive any measurable rainfall, I will report it on Monday for you Chris:) Right now, the rain shield is still south of Knoxville.
LOL! That map basically says KY is on the outer fringe of the main snow, and some might get an ankle biter at best. Looks loaded for north of KY. Also not seeing any indication of any southern fed action, which is usually our big snows.
Our snow outlooks are looking like the Bball Cats- not that good.
Yep, truth!
Cold/Dry Warm/Wet..Winter in Kentucky.
We use to get off and on snow showers for 2 to 3 days at a time throughout the winter and windy and cold too now we can’t even get an Alberta clipper im not sure what’s going on I do think winter has shifted more north I mean when you turn on the news and top story is an inch of snow come on we don’t live in Florida
I have been saying for 25 years that the climate normals have shifted North. I am near Huntington WV and my climate especially Winter is more like what you would expect in Charlotte.
Riding the old bike on Christmas is not the worst thing ever….Bring the Spring!
Or the Harley Street Glide which I will be driving to work the next two day’s. I would usually say weather permitting except but this go around looks like a slam dunk for getting the Harley out weather wise.
I recall it got to almost 70 in January of 98 and then a few weeks later we got the infamous “Just a dusting” of almost two feet of snow. Then we went 16 years in a row with no big snow, followed by three big snows in less than a year.
Point being- no way to really know what the trend is going to be. Outlooks for the previous two years showed us getting smacked with big snow, only to not pan out- at all.
I remember it because I rode a bike with my baby son in a bike seat.
We still haven’t gotten a big snow in Knox since ’98.
It’s looking more likely that CB will get his sprinkles….
I wholeheartedly agree with BubbaG….Never know what’s on the horizon as there are way to many variables. Sun spots, El Niño/la Nina and if they are strong, weak or neutral. Nao, ao, pna, SW ridge, polar vortex, thunderstoms in South Pacific, recurving typhoons to name a few. In which senerio pans out best for a major Kentucky cold snap with sustained cold. We have not see that since 76/77, 77/78 although both 13/14 and 14/15 were rather snowy one being later than the other.
Not sure I believe the winters have gone North, but if things don’t change here over the next few years I may be on board. Thanks CB for all you do.
Don’t forget about a warmer atmosphere worldwide due to increased levels of CO2 from the of excessive burning of fossil fuels. That is a big variable that can’t be ignored, and undoubtedly will affect many of those other variables.
12Z Euro has temperatures approaching 60 degrees on New Years Eve.
I guess the advertised cold/snow to end the year is going to be brief or more likely not happen at all.
This blog, and other sites, indicates it begins toward the end of year. Nothing has been said about it being short lived or anything of that nature. Also, the snow map models are for two weeks, which takes us into the New Year. Roughly from now until 1/5/20. Do the math.Two 7 days snow maps were shared with us. Chris said the pattern is setting up for January. When in January was not specified.
Bout time for those infamous “potential” forecasts, initiated by those wonderful models…. folks, this year, don’t get sucked in to those things
I concur.