Incoming Warmup with a Look at the East Coast

 We were stuck in the single digits today, but we also got to see lots of sunshine, which helped brighten things up a bit.  Unfortunately, those clear skies stay with us tonight and will bring temperatures down into the negatives during the overnight, with wind chills taking a hit.

Wind Chills will be around -20° during the overnight tonight, prompting these Wind Chill Advisories.  These will be in effect from midnight until Friday 10:00am, as wind chills will be well below zero during that time frame, with regular temperatures around -10° during the overnight.

This high pressure system will keep tracking towards us, bringing more of that arctic air through our area.  This will continue through Saturday morning, so temperatures will stay on the colder side until then.  We'll eventually hit 30° on Sunday, but it comes with snow showers during the afternoon.  However, we'll get to maintain the 30° going into the work week with sunshine to accompany it to start the work week.

East Coast Weather Update

This a shot off a camera in Baltimore, MD.  You can barely see the Oceanwalk in this area as snow is pounding down with strong winds.  This type of weather has prompted multiple Blizzard Warnings along the east coast, with many areas that have already seen a foot of snow, and another foot is expected before the system moves out.

What's happening on the east coast is tied to what's happened in our area.  It all stems from the Polar Vortex, which is weaker this year, so it can't hold itself together.  Because of this, it spreads away from the north pole, giving us easier access to the arctic air.

Throw in a high pressure system from the north and then that arctic air gets channeled directly into the Midwest, and because of the easier access to the arctic air, these cold spells last much longer than they usually do.  We've seen multiple highs out of the north the past few weeks, keeping that channeling of arctic air into our area.

All that arctic air filtering down into the Midwest for that long ended up pushing the Jetstream as far south as Florida, causing Tallahassee to see snowfall and multiple areas to deal with freezing temperatures.

That deep trough in the Jetstream builds instability over Florida, and with the deep south already being a source of hot, humid air, this trough quickly enhances instability, and builds a low pressure system.

Along with those factors you've got the strong temperature gradient between the hot, humid air and the arctic air.  This strengthens that low pressure system quickly, allowing it to bring wintry weather into the Carolinas before it tracks north.

Last, but not least, the Gulf Stream strengthens the system even more as it's a warm water current.  The Gulf Stream keeps these systems fueled in the winter because of the sharp temperature contrast between the air temperature and the current's temperature.



All these factors are the reason that this Nor'easter ended up developing so fast, dubbing it the nickname 'Bomb Cyclone.'  This is not the technical term for it, just a nickname given to a Nor'Easter when it strengthens very fast in a short amount of time.

The Nor'Easter will track north of Maine by the weekend, and by that time the snow will be done on the east coast.  However, they are still looking to deal with cold temperatures for the next several days.