Today's Top Weather Stories
On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan
Soon-to-be Otto Impacting Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico
AccuWeather News
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Today's Weather across America
From AccuWeather
More Frost and Freezing Temperatures in Midwest
By Heather Buchman, Meteorologist
Phoenix, Las Vegas at Risk for Severe Storms Again
By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist
MLB Postseason Opens with Both Rain, Sun
By Gina Cherundolo, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
Weather Talk
By Mark Vogan
WHILST THE STORMY (MAINLY COASTAL) WEATHER EASES FROM SCOTLAND, THE USA FINDS SNOW ON BOTH APPALACHAIN AND SIERRA RANGES
Two Deep Troughs on both West and East Coast produce snow in the mountains and remain stuck in place, keeping twin lows spinning over the same area, this is also known as an "Omega Block" as high pressure sits sandwiched in between over the central US.
Whilst coastal winds and widespread rain falls up and down the Eastern Seaboard, at over 5,000 feet in elevation over the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains, the precipitation is falling as snow, indicative of the cold air aloft. Mt LeConte, Tennessee recorded an impressive 3.5 inches of snow as well as a cold high of just 39 degrees yesterday, the low bottomed out at 24 degrees last night. The 3.5" covering was the biggest 1st fall of snow there since 1979, according to Jesse Ferrell who wrote on Facebook.
On the other side of the country, the weather is mirrored as another large and deep trough has carved out the atmosphere over the Great Basin and West Coast, drawing cold air aloft south and into the trough. This cold air aloft and surface warming into the 90s, even low 100s in desert valleys are creating enough instability to produce some strong thunderstorms. These thunderstorms are created as a tropical air flow is being pushed up from the east Pacific and even Mexico, some of these thunderstorms are and have turned severe with damaging winds, dangerous lightening and even isolated pockets of flooding rains.
Above 8,000 feet and the precipitation is falling in the form of snow. Tioga Pass at the edge of Yosemite National Park to the south of Lake Tahoe saw as of yesterday, upwards of 4 inches of snow, some areas are likely to see 6 or more inches fall.
SCOTLAND'S WINDS TO EASE UP
After blustery conditions here in the Central Belt and strong to severe gale force winds along the exposed West Coast, the Islands (particularly the Outer Hebrides), Shetland and Orkney as well as the highest, remotest and most exposed peaks of the west, northwest and central Highlands where Caingorm Mountain receieved (as is often the case) the strongest gust of 90 kts (103 mph) the low which appears to be deepening is far enough off the Scottish west coast to keep it's worst winds also offshore (thankfully) and will in fact remain well offshore as the jet stream appears to be taking it northwards rather than east as we'd typically see, therefore the winds which I thought may have actually worsend as the week progressed won't.
See Sean Batty, Meteorologist for STV (Scottish Television) blog as he mentions at how colder weather is set to arrive NEXT WEEK as the jet stream tracks the parade of strong Atlantic lows south of Britain and into the Mediterannean, this means that with the jet shifting south, we are likely to see a substantial cooldown as early season Arctic air moves in, likely presenting Scotland's Central Belt with the first highs only in the 40s and nights that may dive into the 20s for the first time since April. The first real taste winter may be upon us, my question is, though I expect snow to arrive on the hills, likely the Campsies directly north of my house, will it be cold enough to even see snow in low lying areas including Glasgow and or Edinburgh, if not there perhaps the higher ground around Harthill? Though it's early for snow at low levels, it certainly wouldn't be unprecidented and nor would it to see biting cold winds and nights get into the -2 to -4C range between Glasgow and Edinburgh and -6 or -8C over the Highland Glens, it just wouldn't have happened this early for a while, perhaps since 1996??
The trend has been telling us that this is highly possible, remember we saw some of the lowest August temps in many years, we also saw some of the coldest lows in Scotland for September on record and indeed back in May we saw unsuaul snow fall and the coldest nights for that time of year since...... yes 1996!
Remember, 1995 brought us a tie of the coldest night on record for ALL of the UK... -27C.
Is the pattern NOW telling us what may lie ahead?
My winter forecast is approaching..... October 31st!
What's Reaching Today's Blogs?
SCOTLAND: Calm conditions towards mid-October
Sean Batty, STV Weather
Early Snow in the Tennessee and NC Mountains
Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather
The Extremes of the Day
Today's US Extremes
Courtesy of AccuWeather
High: 93 degrees at Philip, SD
Low: 23 degrees at Watersmeet, MI
Today's Extremes here at my house
High: 58 degrees
Low: 51 degrees
TODAY'S COND
A classic autumn day with good sunny spells and cool temperatures made to feel cooler thanks to breezy conditions. Leaves now coming off the trees with ease and rustling sound of the leaves blowing down the street creates a real sense of the advancement of the season and a truely autumnal feel and look.
Thanks for reading.
-Mark
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