The upcoming weekend will be turning much colder following one of our many passing "clippers". Each of these waves will bring light snow chances, with the first of which beginning Thursday evening. A few more of these clippers will be possible throughout next week, with each bringing a chance for light snow, then bitter cold.
The coldest of the air will be centered overhead between Monday and Tuesday, with surface temperatures likely remaining in the teens or cooler from Friday night through Wednesday. The colder air about a mile above the surface will be nearly the same temperature as it was during the record-breaking cold of January 2019, but surface conditions will not be nearly as favorable for bitterly cold air as it was 7 years ago.
One of the biggest differences between the record cold of 2019 and this year's cold is the lack of snow on the ground. In January 2019, there was over a foot of snowpack on the ground. Fresh snow prevents the sun's radiation from absorbing into the ground, keeping temperatures at the surface colder. This is only enhanced with a clear sky, allowing what little solar radiation is built up during the day to escape at night.
This time around, we do not have any snow on the ground yet. We may see a couple inches of snow by the time we get into the coldest part of next week, but that will not be enough to result in the remarkably cold temperatures we saw 7 years ago. Additionally, we may see various rounds of cloud cover here and there, particularly at night to keep temperatures from bottoming out entirely.
Afternoon highs will remain in the teens with overnight lows in the single digits Saturday through Tuesday. Wind chills could make it feel below zero at times, but it will not be nearly as cold as January 2019 was.
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