High Winds Today in the Northeast

The last overnight gusted to 78 mph in parts of Connecticut.  At 4:00 a.m. the wind gusted to 64 mph at La Guardia Airport in Queens, NY.  A strong cold front pushed through the Northeast and the New York metropolitan area with heavy rain, thunderstorms and very strong winds that led to some power outages.  A Wind Advisory remains in effect through this afternoon for most of the region. Other wind reports included a gust to 43 mph in Central Park, 63 mph in Eastons Neck, Long Island; 59 mph at Newark, 73 mph in Madison, CT and 78 measured on the beach in Westbrook, CT.

The weather pattern looks active for the first week of February with a cold pattern setting up from the northern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.  An upper-air disturbance will generate snow showers on Friday and on Sunday an area of low pressure may generate light snow in the New York metropolitan area.  Another dusting of snow is possible for parts of the Northeast and the New York City area on Tuesday.  For Sunday, February 10, 2013 and the following Wednesday, February 13, 2013 storms are forecast to form over the Midwest or the Mississippi River Valley that are currently forecast to track to the west into the Great Lakes or the St. Lawrence River Valley.  This has been a familiar so far this winter.     

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.

Light Snowfall Yesterday in New York City

Central Park received 1.5 inches of snow between approximately 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.  The city has recieved only 6.6 inches of snow so far this season.  Early Monday morning snow with sleet and freezing rain is expected changing to rain in the afternoon.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.

Brutal Cold Moving into the Northern Plains and the Northeast This Week

Arctic air is diving southward now across the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes.  Temperatures have dropped into the single digits and teens across the northern Plains and the Great Lakes.  The Arctic front is extending from a low north of Lake Erie, across central Pennsylvania and southwestward through Tennessee into Nebraska.  The temperatures across central and southern Canada this morning range from 20 to 30 degrees below zero.  Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings are in effect for the Dakotas, northern Iowa, eastern Montana, Minnesota and western Wisconsin today through Monday for wind chills as low as 35 to 50 degrees below zero. Lake effect snowfall across the leeward sides of the Great Lakes will continue for most of the upcoming week.  The wind will be strong across the Northeast today and Monday with gusts over 30 to 40 mph at times.  The very persistent and broad upper low across most of Canada continues this week.  A shortwave trough is forecast to generate light snow for parts of the Northeast and the NYC metro area on Monday and Tuesday.  Low pressure is forecast by the GFS to form across the Ohio Valley by Thursday with light snow spreading into parts of the Northeast and NYC metro area on Friday into Saturday.  The long range outlook from the GFS indicates that a storm is forecast to develop over the southern Plains next week by Monday and then track into the Great Lakes on Wednesday.  This storm will produce heavy snow and strong winds from the central Plains to the Great Lakes with thunderstorms across the Mississippi River Valley. 
The AO index is forecast by the GFS to remain strongly negative for the rest of the month with the NAO trending less negative but remaining slightly negative into early February.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com. Follow George Wright on Twitter.