After a sunny and mild start to our Thursday, showers will push in from the northwest with a cold front this afternoon. The hi-res model shows us staying dry through lunch time with showers moving or shortly after.
Although rain will stick around for the majority of the afternoon, this will be a fast-mover and will exit the region by evening. All, told, we can expect about a tenth of an inch or so in most locations.
On the plus side, it will be another warmer than average day here in the Valley. Afternoon temperatures should reach the mid to upper 50s ahead of the front this afternoon.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND WEATHER
Relatively cooler temperatures will settle in under high pressure on Friday. While it will be cooler high pressure parked overhead will provide plenty of sunshine through the period. Folks who have outdoor decorating to finish will have a good opportunity to wrap that up over the weekend.
Temperatures on Friday will be more in tune with the first of December with highs in the mid 40s. Look for upper 40s on Saturday warming to around 50 by Sunday.
PATTERN CHANGES NEXT WEEK
Dry but seasonal weather will continue to start the work week, but changes in our relatively warm weather pattern will begin as we head toward the middle of the week. Rain will approach as early as Monday night ahead of the next cold front with precipitation likely for the majority of the day Tuesday.
Temperatures will head southward with the front and, while it’s a bit early yet to get into specifics, most locations will get into some snow showers Tuesday night and Wednesday night.
Some impressive changes in the pattern will get underway late next week as a strong upper level low sets up over the Hudson Bay region in Canada funneling arctic air southward into the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
This is a cold-looking upper level map for late next week. Record cold? Probably not. But the pattern does signal a colder than normal temperature setup for late next week and into next weekend.
Looking at the longer range modeling also shows that this influx of cold could stick around for a while. So much so that December as a whole might be one of the colder Decembers we’ve seen for a while.
Decembers here in the Valley have been mild the last few years and you really have to go back to 2010 for our last very cold December.
So while we may not get into record cold, climate modeling dios signal a much colder December than we’ve experienced these last three or four years.
