WhiteShirt wrote:CaptinCrunch wrote:gboudx wrote:What is the criteria for "cancelling" winter? It sure doesn't feel like Winter around DFW these days. Warm and dry with on-going drought. Personally, I'd like to see temps get back into the 50/low 60's for Highs with some actual rain. Rain that is more frequent than once every 2-3 months. If we don't have another arctic blast, it won't bother me, but I wouldn't be disappointed if one or 2 more did occur.
My old friend, don't worry to much about the warmer temps, by around the 3rd or 4th of January will should return to high's in the mid to lower 50's. This current wx pattern has botteled up all the cold air in canada, but that will soon change as a colder patteren takes shape, and by the 11th we shall have a repeat of the cold from mid December that should last thru the end of the month. As far as precip goes January may be dry with only 30% chances of precip as each storm system passes by.
Will that spill down to the Houston area?
Houston will see the colder temps as well, but not till around mid month. It will depend on how strong the western ridge is when it set's up and how much of the arctic air breaks off and drops south. My forecast hints at a large scale Siberian high setting up over NW Canada, a big chunck should break off due to the ridge and plunge south putting the northing states into a solid freeze with highs in the single digits and lows well below freezing. This setup is called "The McFarland Effect" and it should last for several days.