Cooler but Dry This Week.

As mentioned yesterday, the almost summer-like weather of the weekend was going to be replaced by more seasonal conditions starting today and that has certainly been the case. Notice the max/min temperature map across the state today and then compare it with the 24 hour temperature change map and it is obvious that much cooler conditions have returned. Actually, those numbers are much closer to what is considered normal for this time of year which by the way is 69/47 for the max/min.

Wednesday will be even cooler to start the day, but bright sunny skies and a return to a light SE breeze should get our daytime highs a bit above normal. Thursday will be warmer yet with southerly winds for much of the day in advance of another cool front which will be arriving that evening/night. This system will bring even cooler air into the state but looks to be pretty much dry. We will likely see some additional cloud cover as the energy aloft passes over, but current indications suggest it will be moisture starved so only some clouds and no mention of rain for now.

However, Friday and Saturday will be the coolest of the season and coincidentally at the time when we would normally expect temperatures to be near freezing. Our normal first freeze date is Nov 2 and some locations may see a light freeze early Saturday morning. Daytime highs on Friday will only be in the low-mid 60s and clear skies and light northerly winds that night should allow for good radiational cooling conditions and the potential for frost or a light freeze Saturday morning.

Despite lots of sunshine and a return to southerly breezes, Saturday afternoon will be on the cool side with afternoon highs only near 60. Sunday will be warmer with southerly winds and a few more clouds in the sky and that will be followed by what is starting to look like a wet system for early next week. Notice the 7 day QPF map which suggests the potential for an inch or more of rain which would occur primarily during the Mon-Tue time frame. The longer range guidance has been suggesting that possibility for several days now and has been remarkably consistent so far. Of course, lots can change between now and then, but at least the potential is certainly there.

After that, it looks like another rather quiet period for the rest of next week as the 8-14 day guidance is showing a strong signal suggesting a return to above normal temperatures and normal to below normal precipitation chances across the state as you can see by the included maps.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot