As the calendar turns to the month of December, Winter has made its presence known with the coldest air since March. A deep trough is digging into the eastern US, and allowing plenty of cold air to spill southward from Canada. 
This deep trough will bring temperatures to the northeast US that are roughly 10 to 15 degrees below average over the period of a week.
Saturday was the first taste of the cold that the Hudson Valley will have to contend with for the next several days. Highs on Saturday didn’t climb out of the mid 30s in the valley, and were even colder in the Catskills. Sunday will start off frigid, with temperatures in the upper teens to low 20s around the region. As the day progresses, we should see similar afternoon high temperatures (mid 30s) under a mix of clouds and sunshine.
However a persistent breeze will develop across the Hudson Valley on Sunday. These winds around 10mph, with gusts around 20mph should result in some fairly ugly wind chills around the region Sunday afternoon into Sunday night.
Sunday afternoon wind chills in the mid 20s will be roughly 10 degrees colder than the air temperatures. These conditions are likely to persist into Monday, with winds shifting around out of the northwest. The very cold, arctic air mass will continue through the work week, as the East Coast trough is very slow to progress out of the area. The cold, Canadian air mass will give us temperatures that are about 10 degrees below average, but this airmass has very little moisture to work with. So while the airmass may be cold enough to support snow… conditions should be dry through Wednesday morning.
An Alberta Clipper will try to impact our weather by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. The storm appears likely to track to our north. If that occurs, the bulk of the snow will stay to our north. But even so, some snow could impact the Hudson Valley Wednesday night or Thursday. Something we’ll be monitoring. The amounts look light for now, but that could change.
Regardless, behind the front we expect a reinforcing blast of Arctic Air… even colder than the first wave of arctic air. Highs Friday and Saturday are likely to remain below freezing across the Hudson Valley. So be sure to prepare for several days of bitter cold temperatures across the Hudson Valley. We’ll be monitoring the weather pattern through the week, and will share any changes along the way.
Bundle up, stay warm… and thank you for your continued support!