Pleasant pattern will come to an end next week

[alert type=”info”]Don’t Forget! The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks Saturday Night through Sunday Morning. Good viewing conditions are expected with clear skies. Up to 30 meteors per hour possible. Let us know if you see any![/alert]

Blocking patterns often produce anomalous weather somewhere in the United States — and frequently, it occurs in the Eastern 1/3 of the United States. Not this time. The blocking pattern, which became anomalous late this past week, drove a cutoff low into the Central United States that produced an amazing late-season snowfall across parts of the United States. The unsettled weather, however, has remained over the Central United States thus far and has not made much progress to the east — as the block has actually collapsed overhead and high pressure in association with it has settled over the Northeast US.

This will change next week. Until then, however, a few more days of pleasant weather can be expected through the weekend and into early next week. The game changer will occur once the decaying cutoff low, once responsible for historic late season snow over the Central US, drifts up the Eastern seaboard. Forecast models are in good agreement that it will bring increased chances of showers and thunderstorms as well as cooler temperatures. In addition, a slightly cooler and more unsettled pattern looks likely through the medium to long term forecast period.

For a day-by-day breakdown of the forecast, check out our Forecast Brief. If you’re looking to get more details and technical reasoning, check out our Technical Forecast Discussion. Have a great Saturday night!