Happy Monday bloggers,
We are not alone in freezing weather. A frost watch is in effect up to the Gulf Coast for tomorrow evening. It’s very early for them. Sometimes they go through the whole winter without freezing.
Jeff Penner
One of the reasons the temperatures are dropping so much, besides the fact that it’s just a mass of cold air, is the fact that the air is very, very dry. This is the result of the widespread drought conditions. It acts like a desert. Deserts have hot days and cold nights due to dry air.
Dew points Monday afternoon were as low as 6° at KC. This means that the temperature would have to drop to 6° to see 100% humidity. The temperature was 51° with a dew point of 6°. This makes the humidity 16%. Water can hold more heat, a little more water vapor in the air keeps temperatures from building up. So the very dry air will allow temperatures to drop even more than they would if we weren’t in this drought.
Jeff Penner
How far will we go?
Tonight’s lows will fall to the low 20s. Some locations may see declines in the upper teens. Other places may experience lows in the mid-20s. Downtown KC may experience lows in the mid-20s as the concrete retains some heat.
Tonight’s record is 28° set in 1972. We should easily beat it.
Jeff Penner
Tuesday night’s lows will be similar. This will end the growing season, but it will also end the allergy season.
The lowest Wednesday morning record is 21° set in 1972. We could beat it.
Jeff Penner
Wednesday’s highs will reach lows in the mid 40s. Keep in mind that the average low for Wednesday is 45°.
Jeff Penner
If all that cold air has you thinking winter, maybe snow, now is a great time to enter our Snowflake contest.
Go to KSHB.com/contests and enter to win a $1,400 gold watch. The deadline to participate is November 12.
Jeff Penner
Jeff Penner
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Now, if you think it’s too early to get that cold and want warmer weather, you’re in luck. A huge warming trend begins on Wednesday.
Wednesday highs will warm to 55°-60° with 70s in the western plains.
Jeff Penner
Highs on Thursday will warm to 65°-70° with near 80° in the western plains.
Jeff Penner
Friday’s highs will warm to 80°-85° with possibly near 90° in southern Kansas. Wow!
Jeff Penner
The other problem is drought. We see some hope, with the emphasis on “some” at this point, that the chance of rain increases early next week.
The main reason we have been so dry is a very persistent blocking upper level ridge in the western United States. This prevents Pacific storm systems from entering the western United States and/or falling into the western United States from the Gulf of Alaska.
This is the top level feed for today, Monday 10/17. You can see that the upper level ridge is in place over the western United States. A huge, upper-level trough lies over the Great Lakes. This storm brings down the cold air mass.
Jeff Penner
Wow! What is that? It is a trough in the western United States with the history of the blocking ridge. This is a higher level stream map for next Sunday, 10/23.
This will open the door to the rain. We will have more during the week.
Jeff Penner
Have a great week ahead, stay healthy.
