I think Mother Nature has a case of the Monday’s. Either that or she is too tired clean up Old Man Winter’s mess. Why should she? What has he ever done to salvage anything? The next time a blizzard save’s a life, it will be the first.
Marital bickering aside, today will be cold! Not blizzard-worthy, but still cold for this time of the year.
Temperatures will be stuck in the 30s and 40s across the high plains. Meanwhile, average highs are in the mid 60s! Amarillo is going to settle at 44-degrees for an afternoon high. The light northerly breeze will be pushing in the last gasp of cold air. It’s going to feel like sitting on the couch in January and someone left the door open.
For those wanting to appoint blame, you can thank the North Atlantic Oscillation for the cold weather. It turned so negative last week, it could be seen scowling.
It made Bob Knight look cheerful.
Thankfully, the high plains does start to break out of this cold weather.
Tomorrow temperatures rebound into the 50s. Not quite to the climatological average, but it will at least feel like the correct month. The winds will pick up from the south and usher in the “warmer” conditions. Though, because temps will only muster the 50s, the breeze will have a chill to it.
Then spring returns!
Starting Wednesday as the upper-level flow turns more zonalish, temperatures cruise back into the 60s and 70s. Winds turn from west to southeast and begin to advect some moisture into the area. And if there is one thing that the high plains likes it’s advecting moisture.
Once the moisture is in place, it looks like Thursday through next Monday there will be chances for showers and thunderstorms. As it looks right now the chances for strong to severe storms does exist, and we’ll be watching it closely. So please keep an eye to the sky and to the forecast this week and into the weekend.
In the meantime, though. Grab a jacket and enjoy Old Man Winter’s last breath.
