After a fairly active last week of December, it looks as though January will start off on the quiet side. High pressure looks to dominate our weather pattern over the next week or two, with the main storm track expected to stay to our south.

A ridge of arctic high pressure is forecast to slowly slide southeastward from the Yukon into the eastern U.S. during the week, bringing with it clear skies and cold but typical mid-winter temperatures. The arctic high will come down in pieces instead of just one big area of high pressure. This means we will see a day or two of fairly cold temperatures followed by a day or two of a little milder readings. The coldest temperatures look to be on Thursday and Friday morning, with temperatures expected to bottom out in the -25 C range.

For the weekend, the weather models predict the development of an area of low pressure over Montana that will quickly move through our region late on Sunday or early Monday. Temperatures ahead of this low will moderate, with highs expected to be in the -8 C range over the weekend. This system doesn’t look as though it will bring much snow, with only a light dusting expected.

Another shot of cold arctic air is expected to move in behind this low, as arctic high pressure again builds southward. Expect overnight lows to bottom out near -30 C by Wednesday morning.

Usual temperature range for this period: Highs, -22 to -4 C; lows, -32 to -14 C.