Welcome back, Terps! After a long week indoors, we’re going back to class! Be prepared for a cold week ahead, especially since many of us will be walking around campus again. If there’s one thing to keep in mind this week, it’s to bundle up (every day!)!
Today:
Be sure to bundle up today! A noticeable breeze around 10-15 mph with gusts around 20-25 mph is expected throughout the day. The winds should die down starting in the afternoon. Air temperatures at sunrise start in the teens, but the winds, especially in the morning until noon, could make the temperatures feel like they are in the single digits. Besides the cold and windy conditions, you can expect sunny skies. Make sure to bundle up, dress warmly, and appreciate the sunshine!
Tonight:
Another chilly night is on its way. The winds die down as the sun sets and calm down to a slight breeze in the 0 to 5 mph range. Air temperatures remain in the mid to lower 20s, but could dip into the upper teens in the early morning.
Tomorrow (Tuesday):
Expect similar temperatures and increasing cloud cover throughout the day on Tuesday. Thankfully, the winds are expected to die down and should stay below 5 mph. Temperatures at sunrise will be in the teens. As the day progresses, expect a daytime high temperature in the mid to upper 30s. Regardless, some wind chill can make temperatures feel colder than they seem, so continue to bundle up and find ways to stay warm!
Looking Ahead:
Daytime high temperatures for the rest of the week remain in the 30s, so the cold weather isn’t leaving anytime soon. Some clouds are expected on Wednesday before clearing up for some sunny skies on Thursday and becoming cloudy again on Friday. In terms of winds, expect notable breezes to make temperatures feel colder than they seem. Be sure to keep an eye out for the winds and the temperatures on Friday; gusty conditions and winds around 15 mph are expected. The daytime air temperatures on Friday are expected to range from the teens to the lower 20s, but the wind chill could make them feel much colder. Overall, this cold weather isn’t leaving anytime soon.
Discussion:
This discussion will mainly focus on discussing why we’re expecting such cold weather and windy conditions, but also to address the slight possibility of snow on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
The exit of the big dip in our jet stream, namely, a trough, caused the cold temperatures on Sunday and into this morning. This atmospheric setup helped pull colder air into our area, but as this dip exits by Tuesday morning, we should expect calmer conditions and slightly less chilly temperatures on Tuesday.
Via www.pivotalweather.com
However, later in the week, our atmospheric setup will allow for colder air to dip down into our area once again on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. At the same time, a relatively weak low-pressure system forms to the southwest, which is the main culprit for the possibility of snow Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.
The approaching low-pressure system will bring the moisture and dynamics necessary to create precipitation; our area is currently forecasted to be cold enough and have the conditions necessary for snow. However, the exact placement of this system and where we will see snowfall does not appear to have solid agreement between models. The placement of the snowfall, using the ECMWF, does cover our area for early Wednesday morning, but the total forecasted snowfall totals only add up to less than an inch. A half of inch or less is likely if we even see snow at all.
Via www.pivotalweather.com
The placement of this low-pressure system appears to be relatively consistent across model runs (for the ECMWF), so the exact placement of this storm depends on the placement of other high/low systems, particularly the high off the southeast coast, to influence where and how this stream of participation appears.
Overall, do not expect the snow on Wednesday to be anything noteworthy, if we experience any snow. Continue to monitor the forecast to see how the possibility of an additional dusting could affect your area, but overall, as of right now, don’t expect classes to be canceled.
That is all we have for today. Stay warm! This week will be cold, so take care of yourself and make sure you find ways to keep your skin covered and to stay warm.
- Author: Frances Schoenly