Ticker for January 4, 2017

                
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January 4, 2017    January 4, 2017    January 4, 2017    January 4, 2017


Oh (S)no(W)!




Ugh. I'm not sure why, but this latest arctic intrusion is much more intrusion-y
to me than the one in December. Maybe the December one followed by the warm
Christmas got it out of my system, but this one just feels colder to me. The
Mesonet says it's cold, but not AS cold as the one 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless,
I'm freezing my tail off.





And this isn't even the coldest day! That's reserved for Friday when Mother
Nature, lovely creature that she is, sends a reinforcing blob of cold air our
way from the arctic.





Now about that snow. It is so cold that the water/snow ratio is going to be
pretty low, and there isn't a bunch of moisture to work with to begin with, so
expect a dry, powdery snow that will blow around in the wind but not much
stickage. Still, on bridges and overpasses, it might cause problems. Up in the
Panhandle, they might get up to 4 inches, more or less depending on location.
That's child's play for those folks but if you're traveling up that way, be
aware of some possible impacts.






Now the good news, if you're sane and rational, is that it's going to warm up
again after this weekend. Highs in the 60s in places next week. Don't be shocked
by a 70 or two. So this dip in the jet stream will head off to the east and
we'll be back into our Christmas week pattern for much of next week and beyond.




This isn't our last arctic cold front of the season, but if we can avoid another
for the next couple of weeks, it's a good start on our way to spring!

Yeah, go ahead and boo me you winter weather lovers! I can take it...makes my
shivering that much more meaningful.

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org