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Texas SpeedDiva
01-14-2010, 09:42 AM
Larry Cosgrove has some thoughts that those of us in Texas may find worth the read in the Houston Examiner yesterday. Winter is far from over as Late January into February continues to look shall we say, "interesting"...

http://www.examiner.com/x-3775-Houston-Weather-Examiner~y2010m1d13-Weather-Forecast-For-Houston-TX-And-VicinityThursday-January-14-2010
Quote:

As it turns out, the very aggressive treatment the numerical models applied to the developing storm over Mexico may be correct. Once again, the computer outlooks show a very unstable regime over the Bay of Campeche being entrained into the deepening low, shifting the center eastward under a convective complex. Houston should see moderate rain and some very gusty winds, but the predictive equations say the worst of this system will be concentrated to our immediate south (strong thunderstorms below a Matagorda to Eagle Pass line) and to our east (heavy rains along the Interstate 10 corridor east of Lafayette LA and up along the Atlantic Coastal Plain).

The Bayou City will be miserable through the first part of the weekend. Cloudy, dreary and rainy conditions with gusty winds and cool temperatures should persist into Saturday afternoon. The developing storm will deepen, head across the Southeast and relocate off of the Virginia Capes. Mixed precipitation and some icing may be an issue in Appalachia and the Piedmont, with the west side of the Interstate 95 corridor from Fredericksburg VA to Norwalk CT at risk of slush or glazing. The rain/ice/snow division is tricky, but I am fairly certain now that a belt from WV into the southern portion of New England and Nova Scotia are in line for a quick hit of heavy wet snow. Note the track of the system will allow for sudden infiltration of the cold dome in Quebec.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a warm spell (yes, the January Thaw....) will arrive on Sunday, with both Dr. King's Birthday and Tuesday likely to see readings in the 70s (F) for Houston. I suspect that the surge of warmer air will only last until January 21 - 22, as the model sets have been trending colder by the 11 - 15 day forecast period. A prominent Kelvin wave straddling an area from Sarawak to the International Dateline should link with the polar westerlies again (see the connection with the strong storm over the western Pacific Ocean?), creating a window for +PNA and -AO ridging, much like what is shown on the 240 hour ECMWF outlook for North America.

Texas SpeedDiva
01-15-2010, 09:14 AM
Larry Cosgrove continues to hint at cold weather after this January Thaw. And he's hinting at a highs at or near 80 for late next week.

http://www.examiner.com/x-3775-Houston- ... iner-email

Things should heat up nicely in Texas next week, as the January Thaw asserts itself over the Old South. What is interesting, though is that while all of the computer models had previously forecast widespread warmth over the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast, the outlook now is for a shot of polar values to take hold north of 35 N Latitude. The signs in the Pacific Ocean strongly suggest a return to a highly amplified 500MB longwave pattern in the last week of January (check out the linkage, strength, and size of the Kelvin wave near the International Dateline if you do not believe me).

So enjoy the sun, and the warmth, when it gets here. Because odds are, winter wants to visit Houston again soon!

Texas SpeedDiva
01-20-2010, 10:17 AM
Larry Cosgrove in the Houston Examiner...


Little change in the overall weather pattern for Texas. The potential for a shower or thunderstorm exists on Wednesday and again on Saturday, followed by a much colder air mass on Sunday and Monday. The huge storm that hits the Great Plains and Great Lakes this weekend will be the driving force in bringing back chances for a night freeze around Houston, though nothing like that seen in the first week and a half of this month.

We may yet see another profound Arctic intrusion before the month is out, what with the impressive MJO signature and the presence of a persistent AK/YT blocking ridge. But in all honesty, a fresh cAk regime from the Canadian Tundra is unlikely to get far south until February 2, when some of the numerical models show an mAk vortex setting up just southwest of the Aleutian Islands.

The Forecast

Wednesday: Variable cloudiness, breezy, warm, and humid. Risk of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 77 Brenham to 81 Mims

Wednesday Night: Clearing and cooler. Lows 48 Bellville to 52 Webster

Thursday: Sunny and pleasant. Highs 73 Wallis to 77 Dickinson

Thursday Night: Clear and mild. Lows 50 Brookshire to 54 Texas City

Friday: Mostly to partly sunny, breezy and warmer. Highs 79 Hempstead to 83 Hitchcock


Extended Outlook

Saturday:Variable cloudiness, breezy, warm with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 80, Low 62

Sunday: Partly cloudy, breezy, much colder. High 54, Low 42

Monday: Sunny and chilly. High 50, Low 31

Texas SpeedDiva
01-26-2010, 08:48 AM
Larry Cosgrove thoughts in the Houston Examiner last night...

Discussion

Compared to what may happen to us "down the road", weather could be considered to be near-excellent in the Houston metro today. Bright sunshine, milder temperatures and low humidity will mean ideal conditions for getting an exercising walk or playing some rounds of golf.

This is January, however, and many locations in the U.S. are about to receive a stark reminder that the calendar is still saying "the middle of winter". Yet another huge storm is slamming into California, and there is a reasonable chance that the Golden State could see strong to severe thunderstorms from this system (with snow in the higher elevations). Moving across the Intermountain Region, the disturbance will become disorganized. That is, however, until lee cyclogenesis creates renewed life for the low pressure center near Roswell NM on Wednesday night. As of now, the storm track looks to be just above the Dallas-Fort Worth TX and Shreveport LA metro areas on Thursday night.

This set-up favors a severe weather episode in C, E TX.....LA.....MS during the January 28 - 29 time frame. Further north, with a bitter cold cAk domain poised over ON and QB, the drainage of Arctic values undercutting a moist tropical regime will create a variety of wintry conditions. Parts of OK and N AR into the Tennessee Valley and lower Appalachia may be prone to ice or glazing, and I would not be surprised to see a zone of moderate to heavy snow (with gusty winds) target the Mid-South and Eastern Seaboard. The latter region is in great danger due to the fact that computer models often have a rightward bias in handling storm tracks. Plus, mind-numbing cold will be a part of the package as an anticyclone in eastern Canada holds the Arctic values in place.

I also have concerns for the first week of February, which will likely see a similar synoptic setting but with a much larger storm threat. Teleconnections on this feature favor a path through the central Gulf of Mexico and up along the East Coast. Note the vigorous Kelvin wave in the western/central Pacific Ocean, which will help build 500MB heights in the -EPO and +PNA positions in about 8 to 10 days.

The party, it appears, is just getting started!


http://www.examiner.com/x-3775-Houston- ... ry-26-2010

Texas SpeedDiva
01-29-2010, 10:10 AM
Weekend forecast from Larry Cosgrove:

Once the rain and thunderstorms move out of Houston on Friday, cold air will return. Skies will be slow to clear to the depth of the 500MB cold pool, and I would not rule out a few sprinkles or sleet pellets on Friday night. But the big story this weekend will be the drop in temperature, with the chance for a freeze on early Sunday morning.

A look at the GOES WEST satellite imagery suggests that Texas could be hit with another major storm next week (Wednesday/Thursday). There is already a deepening subtropical jet stream, and the addition of a cold air mass through the Great Plains could really juice this feature up. I believe that the disturbance that occurs February 3 - 7 will be one of the bigger systems to pass through the U.S. this winter, with widespread heavy precipitation and a large range of types (severe weather to frozen) affecting locations from northern Mexico into the eastern half of the country.

Weekend Weather Forecast

Friday: Thunderstorms ending by noon as a light/moderate steady rain. Cloudy, windy and colder. Highs 54 Navasota to 58 Clear Lake

Friday Night: Cloudy, windy and colder with a few sprinkles or sleet pellets. Lows 32 Dobbin to 36 Bayou Vista

Saturday: Sunny, breezy and chilly. Highs 50 Conroe to 54 Dickinson

Saturday Night: Clear and cold. Lows 27 Cleveland to 31 West Columbia

Sunday: Mostly sunny early, increasing clouds by late afternoon. Highs 56 Brookshire to 60 McNair

Extended Outlook

Monday: Mostly cloudy, not as cool. High 64, Low 49

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a few showers. High 65, Low 53

Wednesday: Cloudy, windy with heavy rain and thunderstorms. High 67, Low 59