Good morning everyone!
Skies are mostly clear early on this Saturday morning and it is bitterly cold with temperatures ranging from 7 above in Clifton down to 3 below zero at High Point. Winds are gusty out of the northwest. The air quality is good with an index of 24.
CLIFTON’S ALMANAC FOR JANUARY 24TH:
AVERAGE HIGH: 37 AVERAGE LOW: 21
RECORD HIGH: 59 – 2019 RECORD LOW: 0 – 2011
YESTERDAY’S HIGH: 35 LOW: 11 PRECIPITATION: NONE
Arctic High pressure building into our area from the middle of the country will give us a brisk northwest flow of bitterly cold air today. We should have mostly sunny skies this morning but clouds will increase by this afternoon. High temperatures will struggle to reach the 20 degree mark. Wind chills will be below zero especially this morning.
A major winter storm will affect our area on Sunday with snow beginning around dawn and becoming heavy at times with snowfall rates around 1-2 inches an hour. The snow may mix with some sleet later in the afternoon and at night. Accumulations of snow and sleet should be between 10-14 inches with higher amounts to our north and west up to 18 inches there.
The low pressure will move offshore on Monday with lingering snow showers, additional accumulations should be less than an inch.
An extended period of bitterly cold weather should continue through the rest of next week with high temperatures mainly in the low 20s and overnight lows in the single digits. We should stay mainly dry.
THE FORECAST:
TODAY – JAN 24 – Mostly sunny this morning then increasing clouds, breezy and bitterly cold, highs near 20, wind gusts to 24 mph.
TONIGHT – Cloudy with a chance of snow developing near daybreak, lows in the mid teens.
SUNDAY – JAN 25 – Snow heavy at times, possibly mixing with sleet by late in the afternoon, breezy, highs in the low 20s, wind gusts to 28 mph. Total accumulations of 10-14 inches.
MONDAY – JAN 26 – Mostly cloudy with lingering snow showers ending by 1 p.m., highs in the upper 20s. Wind gusts to 28 mph.
TUESDAY – JAN 27 – Mostly sunny, highs near 20.
WEDNESDAY – JAN 28 – Mostly sunny, highs in the low 20s.
THURSDAY – JAN 29 – Partly sunny, highs in the low 20s.
FRIDAY – JAN 30 – Mostly sunny, highs in the mid 20s.
MARINE FORECAST: A small craft advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. this afternoon for northerly winds gusting to 30 knots, seas 3-6 feet. Also a freezing spray advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. this afternoon.
OUTLOOK: A gale watch has been issued effective between 6 a.m. Sunday morning through midnight Sunday night; advisories expected through Monday night with some gale gusts possible; advisories are expected to continue on Tuesday along with freezing spray.
Have a nice weekend and stay safe!