Saturday, February 28, 2009

Storm Watch

Winter is still raging as a storm watch is in effect for the area until Monday according to NOAA. The coastal low which is centered near North Carolina is predicted to move Northeast bringing rain/sleet/snow to the region, with the potential for 8 inches of snow accumulation for some parts of the tri-state area. The storm could possibly bring major snowfall amounts from Virgina to New England. In viewing the GFS, the model looks ideal for wintry atmospheric conditions. The low is along to coast gaining the moisture from the ocean, as warm air blows in from the south and a high of cold air remains to the north. Looks like we’ll be getting most of it Sunday night into Monday.

GFS Model

Current Conditions (Saturday 4:53PM EST)




Friday, February 27, 2009

Feb out like a lamb?

With only 2 days left in February, one could say that the past month for Union, NJ and the surrounding area, has experienced weather of note. We’ve had below normal temperatures for most of the month with, some areas reaching record lows. The occasional snow showers, have definitely been sparse for this region among many others and significant snow fall events like the Blizzard of 1996, seem a thing of the past. Weather is always changing and some might argue so is the climate. Just yesterday the high was 41 degrees and windy with max wind gusts reaching 14 miles per hour. Currently the conditions for Union, NJ is 65 degrees with overcast. 65 degrees in February! Yeah we may be reaching Spring, but it is still winter and it hasn’t been this warm for this day since 1997, when the record was 74 degrees. 65 is pretty darn close to that record and it’s also pretty nice outside. For now, later tonight we can expect rain for the region with new precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Which brings me to my thought…Is February going out like a lamb? Well if the last day of February was today then I’d say yes due to the warm temperature but with the rain and sudden drop in temperature into the weekend, I’d stay it’s going out like a lion and it looks like March will be coming in like one too. The low for tonight is expected to reach into the lower 30s, and for tomorrow the forecast looks to be rainy with a high near 44. For Saturday night into Sunday morning, we can expect a chance of snow/sleet mix so be careful on those roads.
I have much more to write about weather and atmospheric phenomenon, as this is my passion to write about current events, happenings and facts. I will offer trivia and tips in this blog as well as fun stuff like polls and trivia. Enjoy and check back often for more updates. Suggestions and comments are welcome.