We definitely have switched into winter, with most areas seeing a dramatic switch last week as the predicted snowstorm hit, ending our record warm spell. The weather pattern looks to be quiet across our region for this forecast period as cold arctic high pressure dominates our weather, but we will have to keep a cautious eye on a Colorado low forecasted to develop.
So far, the heart of the arctic highs that have been pushing southeastward out of the Yukon and Alaska have stayed to our west. This pattern looks to continue during the first half of this forecast period as another arctic high slides down through Alberta and southern Saskatchewan and then into Montana, before tracking eastward across South Dakota. This high will keep our skies clear to partly cloudy and temperatures will remain at or below the usual temperature range for this time of the year.
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By the weekend, the weather models show a very large and strong storm system developing over Colorado and then tracking northeastward towards the Great Lakes. With strong high pressure pushing southward out of Alberta, it looks like this system will stay well to our south, with only some clouds and maybe a few flurries making their way into extreme southern regions late Friday or Saturday. As usual, we will need to watch this system just to be safe, but odds are very low that it will move far enough north to affect us significantly.
Behind this system, more arctic air will build in, keeping our temperatures on the cold side over the weekend. By Monday, the arctic high will be well to our southeast, which will place us in a westerly flow. This should help to moderate temperatures back to near- or even above-normal values by Tuesday.
Looking further ahead, the weather models show temperatures staying around average over Christmas, with only a few small chances of seeing some light snow. More on that next week.
Usual temperature range for this period: Highs, -19 to -2 C ; lows, -28 to -11 C.
