One of the first things I do in the morning is reach over and check the thermometer. I do this every day regardless of the time of year. Mostly, I want to know how I need to dress to walk the dogs. I usually know about how cold or mild it is, but there’s something about seeing the actual number that helps me get ready for the walk.

This morning the temperature read 20.3F. Now this certainly isn’t close the coldest I’ve seen, that is -7F, but this is rather wild for this time of year. While I need to bundle up and put on the hat and gloves today at least I don’t have to shovel.

What’s going on in the metro-Buffalo area is simply stunning from a meteorological standpoint. It also reminds me given the choice between extreme cold and extreme heat, as much as I hate the heat, I think I would take it.

As this unusual arctic air mass blows over the warm water of the great lakes it picks up moisture and then dumps it on the other side. The bands of lake effect snow are incredibly narrow.

The numbers below give you an idea of the amount of snow that has fallen in a few days. These numbers will be updated today and will grow larger again Friday when more snow hits the same area.
This isn’t a storm that can move here. Unless we move the Great Lakes to Gorham we are good.

The gradient of snow totals is impressive. You can drive just a few miles and go from being able to push the light snow with a broom to being stopped in your tracks. Imagine leaving Westbrook to go to dinner in Portland and you have a few inches of snow at your house and 5 feet when you arrive downtown!

When the snow is falling there is often thunder and lightning as well. The snow is very light, but when you get 5 feet of light fluffy snow in under two days it’s still a problem.

Cold For A Few More Days
Here in New England the cold pattern will be with us into the weekend. Today is a mid-winter like day with highs just above freezing in Portland and staying in the upper 20s across the higher terrain. This is well below average and while not a record cold day is certainly among the top coldest November 19ths on record. Snow making continues in the ski areas and it should be a great Thanksgiving weekend of skiing next week.

There might be a flurry overnight tonight as slightly milder air moves into the area. Thursday will be less cold, reaching upper 30s to near 40F, but this is still not where you would expect us to be this time of year. It’s back to the cold Friday and Saturday with two more days of highs in the 30s.

Finally on Sunday the jet stream will reconfigure itself and bring much milder air back to the area. The ground will begin to thaw and it will feel rather spring-like after the cold snap. While there is the risk of showers late Sunday night and Monday it’s going to be mild. Highs on Monday will get into mid to upper 50s.

Dry and seasonable to slightly below average temperatures will take us into the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving Thursday looks partly sunny and chilly, but not as cold as what we are having on our plates today.

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