2008.01.23
Peering down the road: A month-ending warmup?
We have another shot of Arctic air coming in on Thursday that will settle in for most of the weekend, and there is at least some chance of snow showers on Thursday and mixed precipitation over the weekend, though neither of these chances look very impressive. Beyond the weekend, it appears more likely that the last few days of January will feature a sharp warmup as the jet stream pattern shifts slightly to allow southwest winds to take hold aloft. I would not be surprised to see some 60s return next week. The Hydrometeorological Prediction Center's 6-10-day temperature outlook puts us squarely in the red, or a heightened chance of above-normal temperatures. If that transpires, the month will likely conclude a couple of degrees above normal. Despite all the recent cold, Roanoke is averaging about 2 degrees above normal for the month thanks to those really balmy days, especially the 6th through the 9th. A few more cold days may shave us closer to normal before warmer-than-normal weather pokes the average up a bit next week. The HPC's 6-10-day prognosis is wetter than normal, which is a good thing considering that we're an inch and a quarter below normal precipitation for this month and have been at least half an inch below normal in 18 of the last 23 months. It's going to take a lot more than these dinky winter weather systems we've been getting to spring us out of our long-term drought.
RSS feed 
