Winter weather has taken a definite turn toward the dull. Emptying out all that cold Arctic air last week has calmed the atmosphere down quite a bit. Clouds will arrive early this afternoon, bringing with them a slight chance of flurries. It will be a brisk day with a high in the mid 20s. The wind chill will be in the teens. Tomorrow will see a return to near normal temperatures as winds shift to the west around the backside of this high pressure system.
Speaking of normal temperatures, today's average maximum is 38 degrees. That's one degree higher than yesterday. The average low will start its climb from 25 to 26 on Friday. The coldest part of winter, on average, is nearly behind us! The slope of the temperature curve is pretty slight right now, and there will almost certainly be cold days ahead, but climatologically we have taken our first baby steps toward spring.
The weather service is calling for a high of 47 on Friday but that seems like crazy talk to us. The low 40s looks more reasonable. Either way the streak of colder than normal weather will end at nine days. A cold front with little moisture associated with it may cause a few flurries friday night. The front will almost definitely bring a chill to the weekend.
