Where’s the Cold Air?

Allow me to welcome you to 2012 (just a few days late)! The year began on a blustery note as one of the warmest New Years Eves on record (with a high of 70°) gave way to a rush of cooler air. It was only fitting that 2011 ended with extreme winter warmth after a year in the weather world defined by extremes. The burst of cool air for the start of 2012 was short-lived. The cold front just gave us a glancing blow as the bulk of the Arctic air settled into the Midwest and Eastern seaboard where the Lake Effect snow machine was kicked into high gear.

As the Panhandle thaws out from their nearly 15 inches of snow last month, the rest of us are left with sunshine galore and above average temperatures on the order of 10 degrees or more once again. I've heard very few complaints about this warmth, especially after what the state has dealt with the past couple of winters. As far north as the Canadian border, we are finding temperatures warming to nearly 50°. Even higher readings than that are in tap for us in the coming days. Needless to say, you could give your heavy coat a break for now.

So where's our fair share of the cold this winter? Aside from this recent burst of cold air to our east, most of the country has been very mild by winter's standards. There's always a pocket of bitterly cold air in the Arctic, which can often be found spilling into the United States regularly this time of year. I was wondering this myself this morning so I checked out those readings to the north. WAY north. And I found the cold air. Temperatures throughout central Alaska had dipped below -40°. Check out the map above. Even for Fairbanks, this is fairly extreme! All of that cold air is bottled up there near the Arctic Circle. The problem (if it can be called a problem) is that the jet stream pattern is not allowing the frigid air mass to plunge southward. The polar jet stream has been displaced far to the north for January and is rather zonal. This keeps strong storm systems from developing and thus not allowing a hefty chunk of that Arctic air to rush southward on the back side of a low pressure system. Until a strong system forms in response to a deep trough to our west, we will remain somewhat dry and warmer. So far, the only indications of a pattern change are coming in, inconsistently, for the middle of next week.

Enjoy this continued warmth into the new year. Snow-lovers, just remember how last year went. January of 2011 was very quiet before the blizzard struck. There's plenty of winter to go and I believe the worst of winter's wrath for us is still to come.

One final note: If you want to check out a stellar show tonight, head outdoors, ideally between 3:00 and 7:00am to see the Quadrantids Meteor Shower. From my limited astronomical knowledge, I can say it is a brief, but more intense display of shooting stars on the order of 60 to 200 per hour. Clear skies tonight should give us optimal viewing conditions!

Have a great start to the new year! Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and "like" me on Facebook!