Snow Day!

[muon2]

We're back to normal today after two days off due to the record cold. I woke up to -3 F to go to a 7:30 am meeting. The roads were crowded and cars were slipping on the hard-packed snow/ice roadways. When I learned to drive in MN we all had snow tires for this part of the year, but changing to separate snow tires is rare in Chicagoland.

Today should rise to the teens and the forecast calls for us to break freezing on Friday.

[muon2]

Today and tomorrow are both "snow days" for Chicagoland. they are really "cold days" since there wasn't much snow, but today's daytime high remained below zero and it's forecast to go down to -20 ^oF tonight.

[muon2]

Does that mean we are due for MORE cold in a few weeks??

It's hard to say.  Obviously by the time we're out 2 weeks we'll be late enough that another winter storm in the southeast is unlikely.  Also, it appears the Southeast Ridge might be in place to keep Florida and the coastal arc from North Carolina to Alabama warm while the cold dives straight down into Texas.

This would be a bad situation for the Ohio Valley since the cold air likes to stab into the southeast ridge at the surface, leading to a shallow layer of cold that encourages freezing rain.

The forecast next week in IL calls for low 40's in Chicago and 50's in central IL. That doesn't seem consistent with another cold stab, unless it setting up for the week after next.

[muon2]

For the first time since Jan 30, yesterday broke above freezing in Chicago. This week is the first real thaw of the winter with a high today of 40. I'm downstate where its even warmer and flooding from a rapid melt is a real concern. Add a temp in the mid-50's with thunderstorms tomorrow and the flood threat gets larger.

[muon2]

Winter wasn't over, yet. We got 1.3 inches of snow yesterday. Fortunately it cleared up so I can see the lunar eclipse now.