You’ll notice almost a hint of spring in the air during the final day of 2010 & the first day of 2011. This will be due to a high pressure ridge and associated mild air over New England, somewhat of a readjustment of the pattern in the wake of the big winter storm of a few days ago.

But will this milder weather last? It does not appear so. Most reliable indicators point to a rapid return to the pattern we have been in during recent weeks, with a blocking high pressure area over northeastern Canada and Greenland, and a low pressure trough over eastern Canada. This setup supplies the US Northeast with frequent spells of colder than normal temperatures. If the blocking is too strong, storms tend to miss us to the south. If the blocking is a bit weaker, the threat of storms increases. It’s a little too early to be sure what type of precipitation pattern we’ll be in during this next round of blocking, but at least the early part of the stretch is likely to be drier versus stormy.

When will the cold air return? It will begin to arrive behind a cold front which will pass through the region on  Sunday. The air ahead of and along this front will be warm enough so that any shower activity with the front will be in the form of rain. After the front goes by, some lingering moisture with colder air will provide a threat of snow showers Sunday night. At this time, any snow is not expected to cause travel problems, though we must always be on the lookout for a heavier snow shower or squall during this time of year when cold air is moving into the region.

The balance of next week looks as if it will be colder & drier than normal, with a fairly peristent west to northwest flow of air over New England.

Happy 2011 to everybody!