A Mild End to 2010... A Cold Start to 2012!

It was warm enough so that almost all of the precipitation associated with last night's and today's clipper system was in the form of rain. It will be mostly cloudy, and a little colder overnight with a low temperature in the middle 20's. On Saturday sky conditions will vary between partly to mostly sunny. A blustery southerly wind will gust to 30 miles an hour in the afternoon raising temperatures into the middle, and perhaps even upper 40's. This will be a fitting end to a month that has averaged nearly 7 degrees above normal. A cold front will move into the area on New Year's Eve. There could be some light rain showers before midnight, and some light snow or flurries after midnight.  It will be very windy with westerly winds 20-30 mph. The overnight low will be around 30 degrees, but with colder arctic origin air pouring across the Stateline on New Year's day, the temperature will fall into the 20's under mostly cloudy skies that could produce some snow flurries.  With a very strong northwesterly wind of 20-35 mph and gusts to 45 mph, the wind chill on Sunday afternoon will be close to zero. The winds will continue to be strong on Sunday night and Monday with more snow flurries. The low on Sunday night will be around 16 degrees, and the high on Monday will struggle to reach 20 degrees. The coldest night so far this winter will be reached on Monday night... around 8 degrees.  Is this a sign of a switch in the weather pattern that will bring the Stateline back to the reality of winter?  Not necessarily.  The zonal pattern that was instrumental in causing December to be so mild will resume later next week.  By Thursday temnperatures will be above average once again topping out around 38 degrees, and the Statlene will be back in the low 40's next Friday.