Nationwide Heat Is Certainly Persistent

And the heat goes on.  Most of the nation, including Vermont
can expect above normal temperatures through the
end of July. 

It's been a hot month for pretty much all but the northwestern corner of the continental United States as no real cold fronts or pockets of cooler air have interrupted the long, drawn out heat in the troubled summer of 2020.

The length of time the heat has settled over us, and the broad area it has covered is the impressive part. There haven't been many all time record hot tempertures, but the torrid weather has just dragged on.

Washington DC's longest stretch of consecutive days at 90 degrees or hotter is 21, set in 1980 and 1988.  As of today, they're up to 20 consecutive days this year.  The forecast high in DC today is 90 degrees. Tomorrow, it's forecast to reach 94 degrees.

Miami, Florida, just endured 20 days with a daily heat index reaching at least 103 degrees.  There have been 23 days this year with a high temperature of at least 94 degrees in Miami, the most for any entire year on record. And it's only mid-July, so there's more coming.

Buffalo, New York,  endured 90 degree temperatures daily from July 3 through 10, peaking at 98 degrees. Those eight days were the longest streak of 90 degree weather on record.

An exception to the lack of all time record highs rule this summer is Texas.  San Antonio, Texas on Monday had its hottest July day on record when it reached 107 degrees. Amarillo, Texas set a record for the month of July and suffered its second hottest day in that city's history with a reading of 110 degrees. Del Rio, Texas tied its July record of 112 the same day.

In Death Valley, California, the low and high temperature there Sunday were 100 degrees and 128 degrees. Yes, it's always torrid in Death Valley during the summer, but that 128 degrees is the hottest any place in the world has seen for at least two years.

The Pacific Northwest is the one "air conditioned" spot in the U.S. this summer. For instance, all but three of the first 15 days of July in Spokane, Washington were a little cooler than average.

Here in Vermont, the warmth has been persistent, too. Especially at night.  Burlington is having one of the longest periods on record in which the temperature has stayed at 60 degrees or above.  So far, we're up to 20 consecutive days.  The longest such stretch was 30 days in July and August, 1988.

Only one day so far this month has failed to reach 80 degrees. It was "only" 79 degrees on Tuesday.

Those looking for a break in the warmth, heat and humdity are out of luck. We in Vermont enjoyed a taste of slightly lower humidity the past couple of days, but that's coming back, starting tomorrow.

A warm front will at least hopefully bring a round of showers tomorrow morning. By Saturday and Sunday, we will probably be closing in on 90 degrees again, with increasing humidity.

It will cool down slightly again next week, but it will be far from chilly, with daily highs still likely to exceed 80 degrees, with no big pushes of cool, dry air from Canada expected. The overall pattern features generally warmer than normal weather here in the Northeast through the end of the month.

Looks Like It's Going To Be A Cold December In Vermont, Eastern U.S.

NOAA's 8 to 14 day outlook says it all. Quite
cold in the East for mid-December,
warm out west. 

No guarantees, but it looks like December in much of the eastern half of the country is going to come in on the cold side.

The weather pattern in November was stuck in that zonal flow, a rapid west-to-east progression of small storms and patches of fair weather, which kept most of the nation either warm, or at least fairly close to normal, with few big storms.

(For the record, Vermont in November was a little on the chilly side of normal, and it was drier than average,)

That flat west-to-east jet stream will begin to buckle this weekend and settle into a pattern with a big northward bulge in western North America, and a big deep dip in the eastern half of the continent.

That means cold weather from the Plains east, and possible snow and storminess from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. (That storminess is much less certain than the forecast for cold, but there is some potential, anyway)

Just like the persistence of the November pattern, it looks like December's pattern will stay put, at least for a couple weeks - if not more - once it sets up during the upcoming week.

That means repeatedly pushes of Arctic air into the eastern half of the nation will be the rule for much of the month. So far, there's no evidence that this will be any kind of record, unprecedented cold. Just generally colder than normal for December. You do have to expect winter weather during the Christmas season anyway right?

In the western third of the nation, it will stay warm under the northward bulge in the jet stream. Alaska looks to stay warm, too, at least by their winter standards.

Here in Vermont, after a cloudy, calm weekend, the weather will temporarily turn windy, wet and warm mid-week as a strong storm intensies  while moving north through the Great Lakes into southern Canada. This storm is part of the process that will usher in this new weather pattern.

The storm's cold front will sweep through Wednesday or Wednesday night, bringing us into winter. It just looks seasonably cold - near normal - at the end of the upcoming week, but the cold will deepen the following week. Again, nothing that will break records, but you'll know it's winter.

It's too soon to know how much snow will accompany this colder weather. I know for sure it will snow, as early as next Saturday, but nobody knows how much. Stay tuned on that one

Oh Joy! More Snow, Sleet, Cold in the Forecast!

Of course you wanted more snowy, chilly weather! Who wants spring when you can have ice underfoot and enormous heating bills all year?  

Happier times: Daffodils in my St. Albans, Vermont
garden in April, 2013.Won't be seeing these anytime
soon this year.  

Yes, I'm getting pretty cynical about all this winter weather that won't quit.

It gets more frustrating as we get closer and closer to April.  Especially since there's precious little warmth in the forecast. Still.

Want to feel even worse about the cold?  This week two years ago, an unprecedented week long March heat wave sent temperatures into the 70s and 80s for days on end in the Midwest, Northeast and southeastern Canada.

I'm beginning to wonder if we'll even manage to hit 70 degrees by the Fourth of July at this rate this year.

Bouts of wintry weather will continue in the northern Great Lakes area and parts of the interior Northeast as a parade of midsized storms and big cold blasts from the Arctic come crashing down on the region

It was snowing in parts of Michigan this morning, part of a storm that will cause some messy weather in interior New England tonight.

The eastern half of Vermont,  parts of New York's Adirondacks, northern New Hampshire and western Maine are in for two to five inches of snow and sleet tonight from that system. East facing mountain slopes look like they'll get the most of this.

Broader valleys like Champlain Valley, the St. Lawrence Valley of New York and the lower Connecticut Valley will get less, as it will be warm enough for a mix of rain. Plus nearby mountain ranges might block some of the moisture from the storm, cutting down on precipitation.

So if you're in places like Burlington, Vermont, you probably will manage to get only a slushy coating to an inch or so of slush out of this.

More snow, mostly on north and west facing mountain slopes in northern New England will come along Thursday night. Places like Mount Mansfield and Jay Peak in Vermont could get yet another two to five inches of snow then.

By Friday more snow will be falling on already very white Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan as the next storm comes along. That one will spread some more snow and rain on the Northeast Saturday, though it looks like accumulations will be light.

Then the Arctic air resumes it's full force attack, dropping temperatures below 0 in parts of the Midwest over the weekend, and on into northern New York and New England next week.

Yay!!  Don't you just love having to wear your warmest ski parka every day during the spring?

Want more? You got it!! At least maybe.

Some of the long range computer forecasting models are predicting a large nor'easter during the middle or end of next week. If the forecasting comes true, a LOT of snow could dump on New England.

This forecast could be just a scare. Chances are the storm will harmlessly go out to sea and not bother any of us.  (Maybe if we all push hard enough somehow it will)

But we have to watch this, just in case. Our luck is this year's April Fool will be us, wondering why spring has passed us by.