It's the day after Groundhog Day and we're still struggling to understand how Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow, despite clear skies and photos of him in the sunlight. Perhaps Chuck saw the non-groundhog-based monthly and seasonal outlooks from the National Weather Service, which indicate that the next few months have a good chance of being warmer than average?
In any event, as of today we are closer to the spring equinox than the winter solstice, and it is going to be warm and wet. A storm is scooting northeastward over the Great Lakes today, pulling a warm front across our area and lots of moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico. Look for a soaking rain from this afternoon through the early morning hours tomorrow. Some of that rain could be heavy at times this evening but it looks like we are too far north for thunderstorm activity. This afternoon's high will be really close to 60.
The cold front trailing this storm is expected to slow to a crawl before it reaches the city tomorrow, allowing us to get our fifth straight 50 degree day. Colder air, with perhaps some rain or snow, should arrive after midnight on Thursday. Friday's high will only reach the lower 40s, but the highs should rebound to the mid 40s for what looks to be a very nice weekend. To Chuck's disappointment wintry weather is expected to return next week, with running a few degrees below normal and the possibility of snow late Monday or Tuesday.
