December chill this week; thaw ahead next week?
Welcome to meteorological winter.
December through February are the three coldest months of the year in the northern hemisphere. That's why meteorologists break down the seasons a little differently than the seasonal astronomical calendar.
Here's more on the meteorological seasons from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Meteorologists and climatologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months based on the annual temperature cycle as well as our calendar.
We generally think of winter as the coldest time of the year and summer as the warmest time of the year, with spring and fall being the transition seasons, and that is what the meteorological seasons are based on.
Meteorological spring includes March, April, and May; meteorological summer includes June, July, and August; meteorological fall includes September, October, and November; and meteorological winter includes December, January, and February.
Chilly week
We enjoy the chilly weather fruits of our recent fresh snow cover and brisk Canadian breezes this week. An arctic front Wednesday night brings a brisk weather punctuation mark to end this week. Thursday and Friday look downright frigid.
The arctic front may bring some light snow showers Wednesday night.
Thaw next week?
The upper-air pattern blows in milder Pacific air starting this weekend. An extended thaw looks likely next week.
Check out the mild Pacific flow on the upper-air forecast map starting as soon as Sunday.
El Nino flavored winter
Is the coming upper air pattern a symptom of our El Niño flavored winter ahead? My guess is we'll see a higher than usual number of thaws this winter.
Stay tuned.