Good Saturday and welcome to the last day of the year. 2011 is about to become history as we turn our attention to 2012. It looks like the flip in the calendar will bring good news for cold and snow lovers across the region as an arctic blast hits town for the first few days of the new year.

This blast has been well advertised and I have absolutely no changes to my thoughts on this bad boy. Let’s talk about the now and the future with the headlines…

– Clouds will be tough to scour out this morning and we could hang on to a leftover shower or two. Some drying in the afternoon means some rays of sun to go along with the gusty breeze and temps in the 40s.

– Temps will be in the 30s as the clock strikes 2012. There should be no travel problems from mother nature.

– A cold front arrives New Year’s Day and may produce a shower or two as it crosses the region. Winds are really going to gust up and our temps will drop from the 40s early into the mid and upper 30s by late in the day.

– The true shot of arctic air moves in on Monday and should be accompanied by a period of light snow and snow showers. Highs will be in the 20s, but will feel much colder because of the gusty winds.

– Northwesterly winds will get cranking late Monday into Monday night and Tuesday. These winds will pick up moisture from the very warm Great Lakes and bring snow showers and squalls our way. The greatest concentration will be across the central and east and this shows up well on the models…

NAM


GFS Ensembles


– With all the cold temps… there will be a big fluff factor with the snow as we maximize every bit of moisture available. Whatever snow falls where you live will blow around in the gusty winds. I will talk totals later this weekend, but I do expect accumulations for much of our region with some areas possibly getting in on a nice snowfall.

– Temps will continue to run cold into Tuesday with mid 20s for highs. Gusty winds continue to add that extra chill. Temps hit the teens by Wednesday morning.

– I am still watching a possible clipper for later Wednesday into Thursday. Some of the models are robust with this, while others aren’t very excited. The Canadian continues to like the idea…



Another update will come your way at some point later today. Have a great Saturday and Happy New Year! Take care.