Big Story Weather – January 16, 2013
Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.
redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly
Big Story Weather from January 15: The ice storm that continued to hit the Gulf Coast region from Northern Louisiana to Northern Mississippi and portions of Western Tennessee created a lot of disruptions to traffic with the slick roads. The clipper system that started to move through the Northern Plains also brought some light snow to the region, and the cold weather out west all topped the day for weather.
Weather Outlook for January 16: Low pressure moving up along the Northeast will bring light snow to the region and also along the Eastern Lakes. The upper level low will move through the Southeast later this afternoon bringing colder air which will create a pocket of cold rain and snow for the region from Northern Louisiana into Northern Mississippi and Alabama. A clipper system moving through the Northern Plains will bring light snow to the Dakotas. High pressure out west will bring very nice weather to the region. Below is the weather for a few select cities.
New York NY: Partly Cloudy/Morning Snow: 36F
Memphis TN: Cloudy with Rain/Snow: 34F
Kansas City MO: Partly Cloudy: 37F
Denver CO: Partly Cloudy: 45F
Seattle WA: Partly Cloudy: 43F
International Weather Outlook for January 16: High pressure over Eastern China will bring partly cloudy skies to the region and this will extend eastward into the Koreas and Japan which will also bring colder air to the region. High pressure over the Tibetan Plateau will bring partly cloudy skies to Southeast Asia. Low pressure moving through Europe will bring showers and higher elevation snows. Low pressure moving through England will bring showers and light snow to the region. High pressure over the southern tip of South America will bring partly cloudy skies to the region. Weather will be fairly tranquil through most of Australia today as the region is in between two high pressures. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.
Seoul South Korea: Partly Cloudy with a low near -2C
Guam USA: Partly Cloudy with a low near 25C
Malaysia: Partly Cloudy with isolated thunderstorms and a low near 21C
Madrid Spain: Mostly Cloudy with a low near 5C
Brisbane Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 23C
January 16, 2013 Storm Tracker Update:
Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving out of Europe and towards Russia will bring showers and snow showers to the region. Low pressure moving into Eastern Europe will bring clouds, rain and higher elevation snows. Low pressure moving up the Eastern US will be responsible for showers, snow showers and another day of ice.
Eastern Pacific: Low pressure moving in towards Southern California will bring cloudy skies to the region and increased seas. Low pressure moving through Eastern Gulf of Alaska will continue to track towards Western Canada. A second area of low pressure is moving into the Western Gulf of Alaska; this feature has hurricane force winds with it.
Western Pacific: A powerful storm system is exiting the region and moving towards the Western Gulf of Alaska bringing very strong winds and high seas to the region. Another strong low pressure system is moving through Central Russia and will bring strong winds and moderate snow to the region.
Indian Ocean: The monsoonal trough is active but because of the Tibetan Plateau high it’s been pushed well offshore for today. Tropical Cyclone Emang is located to the south of Diego Garcia and has winds around 35kts and a pressure of 995mb.
Southern Hemisphere: An area of low pressure moving through the Fiji area will bring showers to the islands and gusty winds. Another area of low pressure just south of the Equator towards the Northeast of Australia will continue to gain strength as it brings strong winds and seas to the open ocean right now. Two other areas of low pressure are moving through the Southern portion of the Indian Ocean bringing large seas and high winds to the region creating a marine impact for shipping routes.
Five Day Storm Index Outlook for January 16-20:
New York NY: Areas of light snow and sleet will bring a slight impact to the region today. After that the region will see cold air move in and clearing skies allowing the rest of the period to be impact free.
Memphis TN: A few lingering showers this morning may mix with sleet. After that it will be a dry remainder of the period with no impacts forecasted.
Kansas City MO: A very dry period ahead along with colder air moving in which will keep the region impact free over the next few days.
Denver CO: High pressure over the region will keep it impact free for the next five days.
Seattle WA: High pressure will keep the region dry and impact free for the next few days.
Climate Watch for January 11-15:
New York NY: The period started with temps around 6-16 degrees above normal and then fell to around 1 above normal on the 15th.
Memphis TN: The period started warm with temps around 19-24 degrees above normal followed by a cool down with temps dropping to around 17 degrees below average.
Kansas City MO: The period started with temps about 25 degrees above normal followed by a sharp cool down with temps around 5-9 degrees below normal.
Denver CO: The period started about 1 degree below normal followed by a sharp cool down with temps now running about 14-34 degrees below normal for the remainder of the period.
Seattle WA: The period has been dominated by clear and cool weather with temps running about 3-10 degrees below normal.
Major Weather Impacts Discussion for January 16, 2013:
Day 1-3: The frontal boundary that has been stalled out over the Gulf Coast for the past few days will finally advance northeastward today pushing showers and snow showers all the way up into the Northeast. Another round of ice is possible along with a snow band on the western portion of this storm. A clipper system moving through the Northern Plains will bring light snow to the Dakotas. High pressure over the Rockies will bring fair weather to the majority of the Western United States. The period will end with the frontal boundary finally leaving the Southeast Coast which will bring a small pocket of cold air on the backside allowing for some light wintry precipitation to push across the Gulf States and Southeast. High pressure will build in over the Southern Plains and also over the west.
Day 4-7: The period will begin with a clipper system moving across the Great Lakes which will create an area of moderate snowfall over the lakes. The first wave of high pressures will begin to push in to the Northern Plains and this will start the cold air train wave. High pressure will still be over the West Coast keeping the region dry and mild. The middle of the period will see majority of the country dominated by a very strong and cold high pressure center. The period will end with a small frontal boundary pushing through the Northern Plains and into the Great Lakes.
Day 8-12: The period will start with a front moving through the Great Lakes bringing snow to the region while the rest of the country still will be under high pressure. The middle of the period will finally see our strong high pressure begin to push eastward allowing for another frontal boundary to begin impacting the West Coast. This will also push another low pressure area through the Great Lakes creating a heavy snow event for the region.
Day 13-15: The period will start with an area of high pressure along the East Coast and a frontal boundary through the Plains which will bring showers to the south and snow to the north. Another area of high pressure will be over the West Coast keeping the region fairly dry. The middle of the period we will be looking at a very strong storm system pushing out of the Plains into the Ohio River Valley and into the East Coast which will create a large area of heavy snows and also the potential for heavy rains and even some severe weather might be possible for the Gulf Coast region. The period will end with another very potent storm system moving through the Plains and into the Northeast bringing another round of winter weather, heavy rains and the possibility of severe weather to the south.
Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Sioux City IA:
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy and mild with a high near 35F, winds from the Northwest 10-15mph as overnight lows fall to around 17F.
Thursday: Partly Cloudy and mild with a high near 32F, winds from the Southwest at 8-13mph as overnight lows fall to around 25F.
Friday: Partly Cloudy and warmer with a high near 36F, winds from the Southwest around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 24F.
Saturday: Partly Cloudy and warm with a high near 34F, winds from the Northwest around 10-15mph as overnight lows fall to around 14F.
Sunday: Partly Cloudy and cold with a high near 20F, along with strong Northwest winds of 15-20mph which will create below zero wind chills as overnight lows fall to around 3F.
Ask The Weatherman for January 16, 2013:
Question: What is Stratosphere Warming and why do we care down here on the surface?
Answer: Wow! When I saw this question I had to double check. Very good question! So let’s start with the stratosphere. This is a layer of our atmosphere that is above the troposphere. This layer warms with height meaning that as you go up the air gets slightly warmer within the stratosphere but it’s still much colder than the earth’s surface. So what happens is that the stratosphere begins to warm and as it warms the troposphere gets colder. Therefore, when a stratosphere warming event occurs we see a massive outbreak of cold air here on the surface like what we are about to deal with next week.
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Green Energy Weather Report for January 16, 2013:
Wave Energy: The West Coast will again see some moderate waves which will be supportive of wave energy for the region. The Northern Gulf Coast will see the frontal boundary move through later today which will also let the region experience wave energy. The frontal boundary pushing towards the Southeast will also create a wave fetch energy area over this region.
Solar Energy: The Western United States will enjoy high pressure and a good amount of solar energy potential. We are also looking for some good solar energy into the Southern Plains behind the front.
Wind Energy: Looking for a good amount of wind energy behind the clipper system in the Northern Plains and also behind the frontal boundary along the Gulf Coast.
Hydro-Energy: Showers and snow showers moving up the East Coast will create a good source of short term hydro energy and also back in the mountains we could see some long term snow pack. The frontal boundary over the Gulf Coast will make this region another great day of short term hydro energy through the Mississippi River Valley.
January 16 Weather and Your Wallet (Austin TX):
Dining: A cool start to the morning, however this afternoon there will be a window of time to enjoy eating outside at the park.
Transportation: No issues forecasted for today in the area.
Shopping: A cool start to the morning, however this afternoon should be a good time to get out and enjoy some of the outdoor shopping venues.
Electricity: There will be a demand for heat through the overnight hours as the forecast is for about 23HDD’s for today and tonight.
Yard Work: A nice day to get out and get some yard cleaning done.
Construction: No issues for the construction companies today.
Outdoor Venues: Should be a great day for taking the dog for a walk or just going to the park. The best time frame would be between noon and 6pm as the winds will be lighter and the temps will be in the upper 40’s.