Good Monday, everyone. Christmas week is here and Old Man Winter is blowing cold air back into town and may even throw some festive flakes around. This is all part of a broader pattern that continues to head toward one that can go to the extreme for January.
The long weekend of tracking storms and flooding has caught up to your friendly weatherdude, so this post won’t be as lengthy as normal. I will make it up to you later today.
Gusty winds and temps in the 30s will be common across the state today. Light rain across the east will exit early and some flurries will be possible throughout the day.
A heck of a shot of cold arrives late tonight into Christmas Eve and this means Santa will arrive will some familiar air in place. Temps by Tuesday morning will drop into the teens and only recover into the 20-25 degree temperature range for highs. Gusty winds will make it feel MUCH colder. Christmas Eve will see temps in the upper teens and we hold there into Christmas Morning.
The potential for some flakes will be with us during this time. We have 3 disturbances dropping in from the northwest over the next 3 mornings…
The strongest one is Tuesday morning and that should be the best chance for a burst of light snow and flurries as it swings eastward.
A reinforcing shot of cold arrives behind the Thursday one. But, that will get pushed out quickly as we await a MUCH bigger surge of arctic air by late this weekend. That one will likely be accompanied by a post frontal band of snow. Can that spawn a low pressure to our southeast as it dives in?
I have made no bones about where I think January is going… COLD! The signals from the Pacific Ocean have been ruling the pattern since October and those signals have been for cold. That’s exactly what we’ve had since then. This is in spite of signals from the Atlantic side that said the pattern would be a very warm one. Moral of the story… the Pacific signals have trumped the Atlantic ones.
What would happen if we keep those same cold signals from the Pacific and then throw in a total reversal of the warm signal from the Arctic Oscillation? Looks like we are about to find out…
The red shows how the AO is now forecast to go negative and that’s usually a cold signal for the eastern half of the country. If you’re wondering… nothing is changing with the Pacific signals… they are still cold. Get the picture?
Ok, so I wrote more than I thought I would. The things I do for my weather peeps. 🙂
Take care.
And your weather peeps appreciate all that you do for us, too, Chris! 🙂
Thanks for the update! It’s going to be a crazy, wonderful week for my family – we have folks coming in from Fairfax to Salt Lake, and after they arrive, we will be traveling the state by car from Lexington to McCreary to Bowling Green and places in between, so it’s great to know what the weather is going to be like for all the traveling that is going to be done this week for so many across the state. And Chris, please tell your family thank you from those of us on the blog! We “weather peeps” truly appreciate the time that you devote to us, keeping us weather informed, because that is also time away from your family as you work to make this blog the best weather place around. Thank you for all your dedication in 2013, Chris! We look forward to what’s ahead in 2014!
Merry Christmas everyone! May each of you have a blessed Christmas!
I agree Chris. You do all you can to keep us informed and I know how much time you have to put into it. I read your blog 2 or 3 times a day and never go to bed until I read the one for the next day. You sure are appreciated and I am wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks Chris Bailey for keeping us informed of the weather. I am constantly checking out your weather updates and my family does also. I know that it has to take up a lot of your time and I know that all of us weather peeps out here do appreciate it. Hope that you and your family have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEARS :)!!!!!!
Chris when you say exstream, does that mean like a jan. 1978 or something else.
I love the posts from Strummer and Alena, they’re positive and upbeat! If we had a like button I would use it on those posts. Thank you, CB, for the extra effort, always read the blog even if I don’t comment often. The weather news is appreciated and so are you! Merry Christmas, everyone!
I’m just going to throw this out here……
Living here since 1996, FOUR of the top ten wettest years have occurred and TWO of the driest top ten have occurred.
In addition , FIVE of the top ten wettest days have occurred.
That’s a lot of record in a relatively short amount of time.
I think you better rest up. Sounds like we might need many forecasts this winter from you and you are the man to give them. Thanks for keeping us informed!
Thanks Chris your daily post on the weather are very much appreciated, a Southern Indiana fan of yours.
Joe Bastardi says January is going to be cold, reminds him of 1994, thats real cold. Didn’t somewhere in KY get to -30 if I remember correctly?
I can remember a -20.
-27 in Frankfort with 20 inches of snow on the ground January 18th 1994!
I was living in Europe for the entire decade of the 90s, missed the cold. Was here from 77 – 90 however and again from 04 – now. Extreme cold like that would sure kill the bugs and grubs!
Well aagree signs are pointing to COLD JAN, but till I see a TREND BUSTING storm ole RULOOOO aint going believe it.
why yea BAILEY calls the shots in KY WEATHER, Saturday nite it was just a normal weekend as far as Lexington TV stations went till BAILEY showed up live on the air. then WLEX went pulled BILL MECK out of his comfortable bed as he slept so they could TRY to look like they was on top of things. was I only one seeing the other stations trying to catch up to WKYT this weekend with their coverage of the Squall line.?
please don’t bash bill meck, he is a good man and does a good job also … I know for a fact that him and Chris both do a lot for the community in Lex. (let the stones start flying)
BTW, nobody even mentions that this coming weekend the temps back into 50’s ……
I think warmer temps were mentioned without being mentioned. Besides when is temps in the 50s big news?
A reinforcing shot of cold arrives behind the Thursday one. But, that will get pushed out quickly as we await a MUCH bigger surge of arctic air by late this weekend
i can attest it is cold outside and getting colder.
much more Christmas-y!
thanks Chris for all you do – A Merry Christmas to you and all the blog chillin’.
I saw Festive Flakes! Yep, went on my three mile jog this morning and saw a few. They were more like Festive Specks, but still saw them falling in their festive glory.
Agree with Rolodomingo. Seems more likely cold and little snow, so need a genuine trend buster to change perspective- and reality.
Thanks Chris. Get some rest. At least Santa is going to have the cold temps when he gets here! Everyone have a great Monday!
1994 at Leander ky, in johnson county it got down to -33 degrees
Happy Festivus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8g4Ztf7hIM
I was living in Europe for the entire decade of the 90s, missed the cold. Was here from 77 – 90 however and again from 04 – now. Extreme cold like that would sure kill the bugs and grubs!
Looks like more weather outlets playing catchup, they are backing off the warmup for this weekend, some had 50s now most have low 40s with much colder coming in Sunday/Monday!
Chris is always a step ahead!
I think its funny how people get weather info from other sources other than Chris then ask why its not being discussed