On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan
Traffic makes its way along the Las Vegas Beltway near the Red Rock hotel-casino in Summerlin on Monday, January 3, 2011. (Las Vegas Sun)
NEW: Winter storm socks western Las Vegas Valley
Las Vegas Sun
Santa Clarita Valley, CA (LA Times)
Downtown Los Angeles shrouded in low cloud and fog (LA Times)
NEW: Escorts begin on Interstate 5; snow level could drop to 1,000 feet
Los Angeles Times
Snow shuts key routes into and out of L.A.; more rain, snow on the way [Updated]
Los Angeles Times
Snow Closes the I-5 in Southern California
By Katie Storbeck, Meteorologist
2010 Weather Year In Review
By Gina Cherundolo, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
Heavy Snow for Dumfries and Galloway as well as over the English Pennines Tonight!
This evening's BBC Scotland Forecast by Gail McGrane
The evening's BBC National Forecast By Peter Gibbs
Weather Limelight shifting from Frozen Europe to North America as Core of Cold crosses the Pole.
Though much of Europe remains fairly chilly with sleet and snow falling this afternoon at my Lennoxtown home here in the western Central Belt of Scotland and across many areas of Scotland as well as England, we're simply within a weakened version of the cold trough which brought the coldest December in recorded history to the UK and much of NW Europe with the worst of the severe cold focused on Norway, Sweden and Finland. They saw anywhere from 12 degrees below normal to as much as 20 degrees below normal for the month of December 2010 whereas here in Britain, deperatures ranged from 8 to as much as 13 degrees below normal with 12.6 degrees below normal for Glasgow, 10 miles south of my house. The core of that air mass is now back north and east but there is still cold air lingering, meaning that though it's much milder than it has been, temperatures remain either near normal or below normal and remember, this IS now the coldest period of the year and unfortunately, a true warm period doesn't appear to be on the horizon.
A more typical La Nina pattern appears to forming as we enter January. Models suggest a deepening of the trough over the heart of North America and with a trough already focused over the western US, this appears to be set to deepen and with a cross polar flow drawing intensifying Siberian cold over and the pole and into Canada, this injection of even colder air than what northwest Canada can produce, being transported into North America's cold pool, this will allow much colder air to ride the chute into the trough that is eyeing the heart of the American Plains and Midwest.
Thanks for Siberia's landmass being 3 times that of Canada's, this allows temperatures over Siberia's vast and frozen snowfields to drip to -60 and -70 literally every year, whilst Alaska and the northwest of Canada may see those kinds of levels once every 5 or more years.
In order for the Plains to endure super cold air, upper winds must transport Siberian air across the pole and intensify the Canadian cold pool as well as force RAPIDLY all this air one way! The Central Plains of America, where georgraphy allows less modification of this air as it funnels down the flat land which stretches uninterupted and with little warm bodies of water to warm the air up, from the Yukon to Texas. A powerful upper-level jet which is near north-south oriented and with a strong polar front to lead the way, temperatures can plummet to below zero for highs, as far south as Nebraska, even Kansas and under clear skies by night and snow covering the ground, nights can dip to -15 to -25 degrees. Even -30 to -40 over western South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas where there is an increase in elevation.
Northern cold spots stretching from eastern Montana, North Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin can dip under -40 degrees when an air mass such as the one that may likely set up over this very region after the 7-10th January settles in and is well established and when skies are clear and winds light. International Falls may see -40 to -45 within this period coming up whilst Minneapolis approaches or surpasses -20. Chicago may hit -10 to -15 and even down over North Texas, places such as Dalhart and Amarillo may fall below zero with highs struggling to reach 10 degrees.
Mark Vogan reports on the coming coldwave for the heart of North America from Lennox Forest, above the village of Lennoxtown, East Dumbartonshire
TODAY'S WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
From AccuWeather
I-5 Reopens After Being Closed For Nearly 24 Hours
By Katie Storbeck, Meteorologist
More Cold Snaps Hitting US Through Mid-January
By Heather Buchman, Meteorologist
Late-Week Snow Could Threaten Boston and Providence
By Brian Edwards, Meteorologist
Harsh Cold Spares Bowl Games
By Gina Cherundolo, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
WEATHER TALK
By Mark Vogan
UK, Western Europe suffering from a December-to -Remember Hangover? Will we really warm in January?
I see a dusting of snow back on the hills, piles of snow remain on street corners and at the sides of driveways, pavements still have dangerous patches of ice, the Forth-Clyde canal remains frozen (since November 25th!!) and though nights aren't particularly cold, generally a little below or above freezing, it's during the day, under that heavy blanket of cloud and in that light drizzly rain, temperatures aren't warming much above 3C. With a little wind blowing, it feels closer to freezing!
It's trying to snow and temperatures are stugging to reach normal, despite the fact we're considerably warmer than back in December. Yes, the thaw did arrive but I would bet that if I asked many of you whether you thought it felt like a true thaw despite the snowcover basically gone, id imagine many would say, it isn't the kinda of "typical thaw" like we've seen in the past where a true push of Atlantic air would erase any scenes of snow, ice and frozen waters. The air would "feel" warm or at least mild and yes, we would have more than likely seen a deep Atlantic low pass over us, brize: x-small;">Los Angelto even gale-force winds, heavy rains and with that a rise in temperatures to 10C or higher. Yep, those were the days eh. Now, it appears a thaw, is when we get above freezing and we're lucky enough to see the snow dissappear after lying there for a month. The highest UK reading's I've seen since we remerged from the freezer is around 11C (52 or 53 degrees) and it's really only topped 7 or 8C at best, that's for all of Britain and when looking at the upper-level map, there isn't really truely cold air in place!
I must admit, I love winter, I really do. The snow, the cold etc etc, but I am certainly noticing that wintry precipitation is becoming more normal. Where is use to be rare to see it snow and particularly stick in Glasgow, Edinburgh and other lowland areas of Scotland, it's appearing that over the past 2 short years, snowfall is almost becoming normal and the air masses of more stable, colder origins appear to want to hang over Britain.
We're now at January 3rd, there's Atlantic ridging trying hard at poking it's nose across Britain and trying to force the cold further east, however, troughiness keeps fighting back and we are even now, seeing sleet and hill snow falling and covering the local hills to the north of my house this afternoon, my temperature hasn't risen above 38 degrees, 3C!.
It appears, the fight may be lost this month here for warmer Atlantic air. Over the next 10 days onwards, I simply don't see a real warming trend, just "milder" air which will be 3 or 4C above freezing by day, perhaps holding slightly above freezing by night if there's cloud. The Atlantic air almost appears to be lossening warmth once over Britain and only it's stubborn cloudiness is keeping our night's above freezing because certainly by day, it certainly isn't particularly warm or mild. The proof of this is in the precipitation which is falling. Sleet and even snow is making it to low levels despite a west, southwest wind flow and there is always a fairly close call between frozen and liquid precipitation. This is with an Atlantic air mass in place, there isn't Arctic air over us.
Off and on, we'll see nights dip below freezing, snow will periodically come and go, perhaps covering the ground before quickly melting, the truth is, I don't think we'll really be warm this month and my worry is, that Arctic air during the later part of January which is likely to brutalise the heart of central Europe may try and fight it's way back towards us, say from January 20th onwards. Although winter's worst is over I believe, I do see some nasty winter weather in February and March, perhaps with days remaining below freezing and with snow likely to be on the ground in another widespread fashion, we may see another cycle where nights get down into the -10C or lower range for a time.
WHAT'S REACHING TODAY'S BLOGS?
Extreme Flooding Strikes Queensland
Jim Andrews, International Expert, AccuWeather
Setting the Table for a Visit from the Arctic
Joe Lundburg, AccuWeather
Incredible New Years Eve Tornado Outbreak Photos
Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather
THE EXTREMES OF THE DAY
TODAY'S US EXTREMES
COURTESY OF ACCUWEATHER
HIGH: 80 degrees at West Palm Beach, FL
LOW: -33 degrees at Bigfork, MN
TODAY'S UK EXTREMES
COURTESY OF THE MET OFFICE
HIGH: 48 degrees (8.7C) at South Uist (Western Isles)
COLD HIGH: 31 degrees (-0.7C) at Liscombe
LOW: 23 degrees (-5.1C) at St Angelo (Co Fermanaugh)
TODAY'S EXTREMES HERE AT MY HOUSE
HIGH: 38 degrees
LOW: 31 degrees
TODAY'S CONDITIONS (LOCALLY)
A generally cloudy day with a cool westerly breeze, making the mid to upper 30-degree air feel closer to freezing.
Thanks for reading.
-Mark
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