Attention Mets fans! We have a bit of bad timing with an upper-level disturbance moving through that could cause some rain for the Mets vs Giants Game at Citifield tonight at 7:05pm. We suggest you take an umbrella and jacket for the game. Since rainfall looks mostly on the light side, we think they will probably get the game in, but there might be a delay. Stay tuned for updates on our SportsCast page throughout the day.
High-latitude blocking returned this week. After a warm start early this week, confluence from an upper-level over Southeast Canada forced a frontal boundary south of the region. This produced cooler than normal temperatures for the rest of the week. As a result, April will likely finish near or slightly below normal on average. It appears that May will start not only cool, but also wetter. So will May also be a cooler and wetter month as a whole? Or will a warming, drier trend occur again later in the month?
For next week, high-latitude blocking over the AO and NAO regions will start to weaken and an upper-level low moves out of Southeast Canada. But an active split flow pattern with Pacific energy undercutting the West Coast ridge remains into next week. This pattern will keep a succession of troughs moving over the Central and Eastern United States for the next week or two. These troughs will supports airmasses coming down from Canada with mostly below normal temperatures. There is still the potential for backdoor cold fronts and cut-off lows with this pattern as well.
While we ponder over today a stunning new report on the Blizzard of 2016, we’re also looking at the weather over the next few days. It appears that we are entering a cooler and unsettled pattern going into this weekend and beyond. Although we are not looking at any complete washouts yet–at least through Saturday.
For the rest of this afternoon, sunshine will gradually fade behind increasing and thickening clouds. This happens as a wave of low pressure moving east over the Mid-Atlantic region causes the frontal boundary lift northward. Strong confluence underneath an upper-level low over Southeast Canada will keep this frontal boundary south of the region. But some showers will spread north over parts the region later today and early tonight. Generally, light rainfall amounts are anticipated. Temperatures should reach the upper 50s to lower 60s for highs this afternoon.
Three months after the last snowflake from the prolific Blizzard of 2016 fell, it has ascended to become the #1 snowfall in New York City’s recorded history. The storm passes February 12th, 2006 which was the previous record holder. The announcement comes after weather enthusiasts and professionals were left disappointed by a 26.8″ measurement which brought the snowfall total just 0.1″ short of the February 2006 record. But a new publication from the National Weather Service says the total will be changed to a whopping 27.5″, adjusting the total well higher and making the Blizzard of 2016 the largest in the city’s history.
It wasn’t additional snow that fell a few minutes after a measurement, or a last minute snow band that was added on to the snowfall total. It was, apparently a “miscommunication between the NWS WFO and Central Park Conservancy”. Or, more likely, a disturbing lack of communication between the two offices at all. The report also says that the Central Park Conservancy, which measures snowfall officially for Central Park, provided a worksheet with snowfall totals which was deemed “accurate”. The official worksheet recorded 0.2″ of snow on January 22nd, 27.3″ of snow on January 23rd, and a trace of snow on January 24th. How a snowfall total of 26.8″ was reported on the night of January 23rd, then, becomes a real head scratcher.