HAPPY NEW YEAR ! A Cold Start on the Way, Followed by a Nice Warm Up. Colder and snow for Mid-month.

Happy New Year !

December Monthly Recap and Verification !

The winter season has started out quite descent for the Delaware Valley and Northern M/A. So Far the month of December has come in Near to Slightly Above Avg in temps, for the Delaware Valley Region. Snowfall Totals have come in, Near to Slightly Above Average for most areas.

In my Winter Forecast: For the month of December I Had +1.0 to +2.0 for Temps, and 2" to 3" for Snowfall in PHL. Actual for PHL was +0.2 for temps and 1.6" of Snowfall, so a good start and Grade of B+ on my Call for December. I was within 1 Degree of the Temp range, and .4" of The Total Snowfall Range.

Many other reporting stations came in Between 0.0 and + 1.7 for ACY. Most areas were Near to Above Avg in total Snowfall for the month. Southern Regions such as Southern NJ and DE were the winners in the snowfall Dept, as our December 5th Clipper did the Job with a general 2.5" to 4.5" snowfall in the respected areas.

For the month of January in my Winter Forecast I have +2.0 to +3.0 in Temps and 6" to 8" of snowfall for PHL. I see this being on target. We'll see how it pans out.

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FIRST HALF OF JANUARY:

FOR THE DELAWARE VALLEY & NORTHERN M/A REGIONS.

I see a nice Cold shot coming for the middle and end of this week, for Wednesday through Friday. Temperatures will be Below average, and a touch of Snow is possible Wednesday morning, as some Flurries and Snow showers move through the Delaware Valley. Some areas could get a Coating of snow with this activity on Wednesday morning, especially to the North and West of PHL.

High Temperatures will be in the Mid 30's for both Wednesday and Friday. The coldest day will be on Thursday, as the core of arctic air moves over the Area. Temps will be near 30 on Thursday, and Overnight lows will be in the mid teens to lower 20's for both Wednesday and Thursday Nights. Once again some Flurries and Snow showers, can be expected for Wednesday with Mostly Cloudy skies, and Very Blustery conditions.

As we head into the first weekend of January, temperatures will begin to rebound quickly, as we return to the Mid and Upper 40's for Highs Temps, and the Upper 20's and Mid 30's for Lows, for both Saturday and Sunday. I'm expecting a big warm up and temperatures to Average Much Above Normal, between the 7th and 11th of the month. We could be looking at the low to mid 50's, for much of this time frame, and one or two days with Highs in the low 60's. This warm up will be short lived, and by mid month (Between the 13th and 19th) We're back to a colder and more stormy Pattern, and this is were I see our next good chance of snow or Ice for the region. Temperature's overall during this time (13th -19th) will return to Near and Below Average levels, and a snow event is most likely during this period as well.

Take Care and Happy New Year !
Ruggie