Brr...ing On The Cold

December is coming in as a relative "lamb" this year across much of the Midwest and East. Temperatures are near to above average in most areas and snow is hard to come by. That will come to an abrupt change by the middle of next week, however !

Pattern Change

By the middle of next week, a very exaggerated upper-level wind pattern will evolve across North America. Strong ridges (bulge in the jet stream) will extend well up into Alaska and over Greenland. As result, some bitterly cold air will be forced southward, from the higher latitudes in to the U.S. as a deep trough (dip in the jet stream) develops.

Most areas will experience temperatures that will be well below average for this time of year. It appears that the cold will be around for an extended period, as opposed to some recent cold outbursts.

The situation will be conducive to the development of lake-effect snow around the Great Lakes. Computer models are suggesting snow, or mixed precipitation events, into the third week of December but they are yet to agree on details, The situation will continue to me monitored.

So, it looks like it will feel more like winter as we move deeper into December for a significant part of the nation.

@tommoorewx on Twitter