A Windy Forecast, And Why Ski Areas Impose Wind Holds Sometimes

A weather pattern has temporarily set in across much of the nation in which weather systems are moving pretty much west to east across the nation.

Intense winds toss chair lifts in Montana.
The ski area had shut down, wisely, to
protect skiers.  

That means some strong, but mostly moisture starved storms are coming in off the Pacific.

Since the storms and the air flow are blocking Arctic air from invading from Canada, much of the nation, including Vermont and the rest of the Northeast, is experiencing a January thaw.

These Pacific storms are also generating a lot of wind. Wind warnings and advisories stretch almost coast to coast.

The winds contributed to grass fires in Oklahoma Sunday, and In the northern Rocky Mountains, some wind gusts reached 90 mph.

Here in Vermont, we'll get some windy days all week. Nothing extreme, but look for gusts in the 40 mph range at times.  The storms coming across will be able to gather some moisture, so look for a little rain Tuesday, and some snow showers later in the week.

The weather pattern will again change toward the end of the week, with a dip in the jet stream forming in the middle of the nation. That will allow Arctic air to once again come into the picture from the Great Plains to, eventually, by the weekend, here in Vermont.

It won't be anything extreme, like the polar vortex last week. It'll just get cold like it usually does in January.

In Montana, where the wind really blew Sunday, , a quick video of the Bridger Bowl ski resort in Montana shows why ski areas tend to kick people off the lifts if the gusts get too strong.

Judging from the video, Bridger Bowl was smart to impose a wind hold Sunday.: