Our January thaw has provided about a 10 day break from the bitter winter temperatures we experienced in December. But a pattern change is upon us, and it will bring some major changes over the next 36 hours.
?Wednesday… cloudy skies and a southerly flow will see temperatures climb into the mid 40s ahead of developing scattered rain showers around mid day. The frontal boundary will hold off to our northwest… keeping the steadiest and most widespread rain showers off to our north and west as well. The Catskills and areas north of I-84 have the best chance for rain showers Wednesday afternoon. The showers should be mainly light, but certainly could make for some slick wet roads during the PM commute.
?Wednesday Night… Cloudy skies with periods of light rain showers will continue, as the boundary slowly presses southeast. After midnight, we’ll see the arctic front approach, and temperatures will crash with the passage of the front. The main question will be how much precipitation is still in our area when the arctic air returns. You can see the futurecast image does suggest the rain showers end as a period of wet snow near sunrise on Thursday. Crashing temperatures with lingering moisture could absolutely result in areas of black ice and even some slushy snow accumulation in spots. Generally a coating to less than an inch is expected in the valley, with up to 3 inches possible in the Catskills.
?Thursday… Windy and bitter cold, mix of clouds and sun. Temps in the mid to upper 20s, with mid day wind chills in the teens & low 20s.
We’ll be monitoring this system closely. The storm has a strong upper level low pressure that can always produce surprises as it passes by. We’ll have plenty more on Wednesday, so check back for updates.