Hurricane Redo: About that mild winter ...
In forecast update, TV's Glenn Schwartz goes whiter, colder.
We've noted that January hasn't been behaving quite as expected and how the weather world was awaiting an anticipated warm-up.
NBC-10's Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz has stopped waiting. He issued a revised winter forecast today calling for a cold January and February, with seasonal snowfall perhaps as much as twice normal.
As other forecasters, Schwartz was counting on the strong La Nina, the anomalous cooling of waters in the equatorial Pacific, to allow for a benign winter in Philadelphia.
Strong La Ninas tend to distort the storm track in such a way that snow and cold are diverted well north of Philadelphia.
This one has been different as a strong Arctic blocking pattern has allowed cold air to push into the United States. Next week temperatures across the entire country are forecast to be below normal.
Schwartz, who acknowledged that he failed to see the intensity of the December cold or the mega post-Christmas snow, is now calling for up to 40 inches of snow, with 12 this month and 10 more in February. He's looking for January temperatures a full 5 degrees below normal.
Our thanks to loyal reader Steve Lapin for the heads-up.
Speaking of snow, it now looks like Friday's will be of the nuisance variety, with maybe an inch or two. Another threat is on tap for the middle of next week.