Early Week Soaker is Coming

Sunday, November 2nd 2014, 6:36 pm

By: News On 6

As I write this Sunday about 5:20pm, the sun is setting and the air is cool. This is the tell-tale sign that winter is fast approaching, but seems unreasonably speedy considering we were well into the 80s at this time last week. We still lose about 2 minutes of daylight every day and we're feeling the effects of this lack of sunlight more and more as these cold spells become more and more stout. Fortunately for Green Country, no more hard freezes are lined up, but a very wet storm system is knocking on our door.

                A cold front with a healthy fetch of both Gulf and Pacific Ocean moisture is sprawled across the High Plains and is shifting southward towards us. We've felt the effect of this by the gusty south winds and the increase in clouds. We won't see much rain until Monday night, but the likelihood of that rain is nearly a guarantee at this point. With a lack of instability and unfavorable wind shear, severe weather is not expected. However, a few thunderstorms may be embedded in a broad shield of rain that overspreads the area late Monday into Tuesday. Some of the heavy rains will train over the same locations allowing for a nice amount of water to fill our rain gauges. The system will continue to shift south Tuesday, transitioning the rain to drizzle and eventually allowing drier air to filter back into our area. The clouds, damp weather, and north wind will keep temperatures nearly steady in the 50s on Tuesday. It'll be just one of those “blah” days, but one that is much needed after dry spell at the end of October. Expected total rainfall amounts are shown in the map above.

                Hopefully the rain adds up nicely in all corners of our area because dry weather will be the story for at least another week. Quiet, seasonable weather filters in for the midweek timeframe. Monday night's cold front is bringing air of Pacific origins so it will not offer too much of a cool down. However, the jet stream amplifies by the end of the week, sending several cold fronts of Arctic origin across the central U.S. The first one arrives Thursday with only a modest cool-down. Another one Saturday will likely fetch much colder air and spread it across the area this weekend. Any gains on temperatures this week will be lost by then, more than likely, as we could see a frosty night or two again by early next week.

                Enjoy the rainy days and the longer nights. There is a coziness about this time of year, but we can't get too comfortable with any one type of weather as we continue to transition to the cold weather that lies ahead. Have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and on Facebook!