The Days Grow Longer, The Cold Grows Stronger!
That little piece of doggerel certainly seems to be very close to the mark. Now that our annual January thaw is over the days are becoming noticeably longer, and it certainly has gotten colder. Overnight we were back into the sub-zero range at -5.6°F. The sky was clear last night, but there are some high thin clouds moving into the area.. In fact right now (09:30 hours) the sky is a milky white as more and more cirrus clouds move in. All this in preparation for another onslaught for tomorrow. If you think it is too cold to snow, guess again. It is supposed to be cold today (not getting out of the twenties) and cold again tonight.
For today the N.W.S. forecasts no precipitation, but the cloud cover is supposed to increase (13%/41%/68%/84%), again in preparation for tomorrow. Checking on the NEXRAD composite regional radar I find that the snow shield is already into southern Pennsylvania. There is a second storm that is not on the radar yet. That second storm is over the great lakes. The Weather Underground model forecast maps are predicting that those two storms will join forces somewhere over Long Island Sound and move up the coast into the Gulf of Maine. That should give us a very real probability for another foot of flurries between Noon and Midnight Friday. Those same maps are showing a possibility for another storm on Monday. We are so lucky to live in Wilton, Maine where Winter is the Major Season, eclipsed only by Mud Season. We pay for this weather so get out and enjoy it, it really can be fun.
My Weather Stick continues to frown at the 79% relative humidity, but I would not expect anything else. All three of my electronic instruments currently forecast fair skies and rising barometric pressure. They recorded lows of -5.6°F,-1.8°F and 7.3°F (that last in the barn). Who says the animals do not produce heat. For today clouds should be on the increase, and already are. I have not heard when this next storm is expected to start, but based on the last one, and the Weather
Underground maps predictions, I would expect it to start around daybreak tomorrow and continue through the day. Cleanup should start on Saturday.
Low Temperature (°F): -5.6
Current Temperature (°F): -0.7
Relative Humidity (%): 79%
Dew Point (°F): -5.7
Barometric Pressure (in Hg): 30.40
Heat Index (°F): N/A
Wind Direction: Calm
Wind Speed (mph): 0.0
Wind-Chill (°F): -0.7
Precipitation (Type): None
Amount (Inches): 0.00
Cloud Cover (AM): Partly Cloudy
Cloud Type: Cirrus
Weather Stick: Down
Comparative data for the overnight.
Temperature:14°F/14.1°F//08°F/07.1°F//04°F/01.5°F//00.0°F/-1.6°F.
Relative Humidity: 67%/69%//76%/79%//83%/79%//91%/78%
Overnight the N.W.S. had the temperature correctly forecast at all four points, or at least within limits. They only missed the 04:00 hour forecast for the relative humidity. They are once again proving themselves to be reasonably accurate at predicting the future. A great improvement over the other night.
Forecast data for today.
Temperature: -3°F/11°F/25°F/27°F.
Relative Humidity: 100%/75%/45%/49%
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