Dec 13, 2011: Mild End To Week

Last night once again brought widespread cold temperatures to the area as expected, with temperatures dropping into the mid to upper 10s inland and the lower to mid 20s across most of the area except for parts of Long Island and NYC which saw warmer temperatures. With mostly sunny skies observed, temperatures were warmer today during the afternoon, reaching the mid to upper 40s inland and upper 40s across the rest of the area, although parts of Long Island reached the lower 50s. Slightly colder temperatures are expected tomorrow, although temperatures will warm up on Thursday ahead of the cold front, which will bring scattered showers later in the day followed by colder temperatures, with the weekend once again bringing highs into the mid 30s to lower 40s across most of the area.


Tomorrow's Outlook:

After a slightly warmer night, with temperatures for Wednesday morning slightly warmer than those of this morning but still cold, partly cloudy skies are expected on Wednesday, becoming mostly cloudy by the evening hours. Slightly cooler high temperatures are expected with a light and variable winds, with temperatures reaching the mid 40s inland and the mid to upper 40s across the rest of the area.


Wednesday Night - Friday: Warmer, Some Rain

A low pressure will move into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday night and Thursday, bringing front end precipitation into the region on Wednesday night. Scattered showers are expected across the area with most places seeing less than a tenth of an inch, although further north into Upstate New York and interior Connecticut, and potentially in parts of Sussex and Orange counties, the precipitation may start out as freezing rain before changing over to rain as the cold air mass is quickly pushed out. As a result, temperatures overnight will be steady in the mid 30s inland and in southern CT, upper 30s to lower 40s in the immediate suburbs of NYC and Long Island, and lower 40s in NYC. Temperatures are expected to slightly rise by the morning hours.

Cloudy skies will continue throughout the day on Thursday with a few breaks in the cloud cover possible early in the day. Temperatures will warm up into the lower to mid 50s across the area, and upper 50s are possible near and southwest of NYC. A weakening line of rain associated with the cold front will approach from the west, with scattered showers developing west of NYC between 3-4 PM and east of NYC between 4-6 PM. These scattered showers will continue through at least 12-2 AM, when any leftover showers will clear the area as cloud cover starts to clear with dropping temperatures. Temperatures will stay steady during most of the overnight hours in the mid 40s to lower 50s across most of the area, dropping towards Friday morning into the upper 30s to lower 40s inland, lower to mid 40s in the immediate NYC area and southern Connecticut, and the mid 40s in Long Island. Clearing skies are expected on Friday with slightly cooler high temperatures, reaching the mid to upper 40s inland and the upper 40s across the rest of the area, with parts of the immediate NYC area and Long Island passing 50 degrees.


Weekend Outlook: Colder, Scattered Interior Flurries?

Mostly to partly sunny skies will continue on Saturday as a much colder air mass moves into the region, bringing high temperatures into the upper 30s to lower 40s across most of the area. Partly cloudy skies are expected on Saturday night with low temperatures again dropping into the 20s across most of the area. A weak disturbance will approach the region on Sunday, bringing widespread snow showers across the Northeast, and while no heavy precipitation will fall out of this, the potential may be there for scattered flurries to affect the interior parts of the area, especially north and northwest of NYC. Temperatures on Sunday will be cold again, reaching the upper 30s to lower 40s across the area.


Early-Mid Next Week:

More sunshine is expected for Monday as a high pressure briefly returns, with temperatures warming up into the lower to mid 40s across most of the area. The dry conditions won't last for long, as a more organized system will reach the region towards the middle of next week. Although the location and timing of the storm are still uncertain, rain is likely to affect the area again towards the middle of next week. Stay tuned for more information on next week's outlook.