Another cold, but not so bitter morning, is well under way across all of Maine. If you follow me on Twitter (@growingwisdom) you might have already read this, but I had to laugh this morning as I am writing this blog and I looked up from my desk to catch my neighbor, in a very colorful robe, pulling the Sunday paper off the top of a snow bank with a rake.   Of course, she could have looked out her window an hour earlier and seen me in my slippers and nightshirt standing on a chair, filling the bird feeders.  The things we do when no one is looking.

The day started bright, sunny and not so cold with most areas in the teens. I did notice Fryeburg at 2 below zero this morning. They definitely win the award for most extreme summer and winter temperatures..   Melting will take place this afternoon as the mercury rises above the melting point.  I am hopeful my driveway is going return to the asphalt at least in spots.

We have a brief shot of warmer weather for later tonight and the first half of Monday.  The leading edge of the warmer air will lift over the cold air and could cause a bit of light freezing rain to fall after dark and through about the mid-evening hours away from the coast.

In ski country there will be snow and sleet and it could accumulate enough to cause slick driving.

Overnight some periods of rain will fall everywhere as temperatures continue to rise.  By morning, much of the coastal Maine will see temperatures well into the 40s with areas fog and a few downpours. Even in ski country it will rain, but I am hopeful the rain will not last long enough to do too much damage to the ski conditions.

The Monday commute is going to be slow. There will be puddles of water developing and if the rain can’t flow easily into the sewers, these puddles are going to freeze solid Monday night.

The mild air remains with us for the morning, but then temperatures will begin to slowly fall for the afternoon.  During the evening commute temperatures will fall to the upper 30s and lower 40s.   Between 8 and 10PM the air becomes cold enough for any of the slush or puddles to freeze solid. 

Tuesday morning dawns bright, sunny and very cold.  Wind chills will be subzero once again.  As cold as it will be Tuesday, the core of the cold air will actually stay to our west.  There are wind chill advisories and warnings into the Deep South for tonight and Monday. Some of the wind chill readings will be as cold as they have seen in one or two generations. 

The image below show actual and wind chill temperatures for the upper Midwest this morning.  These readings are exponentially colder than what we experienced after the snow storm or will see for Tuesday. 

Our cold weather continues Wednesday with another day of high temperatures remaining under 20F for the entire area.

 

The weather remains cold for the end of the week before some flurries on Friday reminds us winter is very much alive.  I don’t expect the system Friday to bring more than a coating or inch type of situation to the area, if it materializes. 

January Thaw

The good news (for many of us) is there are clear signs of a January thaw for 4 or 5 days starting on the 11^th of the month.  In the image below, I have annotated some of the highlights of the weather for the next 10 days.  Remember, this is based on model and the trends, not the specifics are what are important.

Looking out into the second half of the month, there is more arctic air forecast to build and push southward.  Some of the same patterns that established themselves last February could be in for a repeat performance of sorts as we close out the month of January and begin month two of 2014.

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