Expect a warm start to your Thanksgiving break today before temperatures drop as we approach the end of the week.
Today:
We’ll be starting the first day of our Thanksgiving break on a warmer note with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s. A daytime high in the upper 60s will be reached, which is quite warm for late November! As we get into the evening, temperatures will return to the mid-50s. Winds will be 5 to 10 mph throughout the day. Some gusts towards the evening may be around 15 mph. Expect partly cloudy skies.
Tonight:
Evening temperatures will be in the low 40s, with winds in the 5 to 10 mph range and increasing cloud cover in the area.
Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving day kicks off with temperatures in the low 40s. Temperatures will stay rather steady throughout the afternoon, reaching a high temperature around 45 degrees. Evening temperatures should drop into the mid-30s. Winds will once again be in the 5 to 10 mph range, with the potential of gusts around 15 mph. Expect cloudy conditions throughout the day.
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures as we approach Black Friday and the weekend will be quite different from today’s high in the upper 60s. We will be seeing cold temperatures and dry, windy conditions. Clouds should eventually dissipate by the weekend, making way for mostly sunny weekend skies.
Discussion:
How are we going from an almost 70 degree high today to high temperatures in the lower 40s? A polar vortex, or a mass of cold air from the North, is dipping into our region with the lowering of the polar jet (i.e. an area of fast-moving wind in the upper atmosphere that can typically be found in the polar altitudes). A strong polar vortex contains the cold air in the polar regions, while a weak vortex, like we will be seeing this week, causes the cold air to leak into the midlatitude region. Be sure to bundle up if you are heading outside around this time this week!
Via www.pivotalweather.com
The blue box in the map of winds at the 300 mb pressure level in the atmosphere highlights the dip in the polar jet Thursday evening.
Via www.pivotalweather.com
Here are the temperatures around the surface Thursday evening. Colder temperatures, indicated by the blue, white, and purple coloring, move into our region as the polar jet dips down. Tune into our article tomorrow to see how this weather story evolves!
That’s all for today. Have a great day, Terps!
- Writer: Anjali Vidyasagar
- Editor: Morgan Peterson
Featured image via Anjali Vidyasagar