Thank goodness we had sunshine to help “warm” us up today. Temps were stuck in the low 20s around the Bay State, and wind chill readings were in the teens! Though, I’ll be the one to admit it and say I loved the way this afternoon felt. Honestly, I was surprised that the actual temperature was so cold, because it just felt better with the bright sunshine. We’ve seen some really bitter air this winter, so it’s okay to admit that 23 in bright sunshine was not so bad… right???
Ultimately though, today was very abnormally cold for this time of year. Just to give you some perspective, highs this afternoon were 15 to 20 degrees below normal and our actual highs for today were more on par with normal lows for this time of year.
Yeah, it hurts to hear that and it would be nice if the cold would take a hike. Listen, Cold, we just don’t want to play with you anymore. You see, we’ve had this extreme seesaw pattern in the jet stream: What goes up in the west comes down in the east – and all is in balance with the world, right? Wrong, because it leaves the eastern half of the U.S. smacking our bums on the ground (in reference to my seesaw analogy) – and we don’t get to have any fun on the playground! Luckily, recess is over for now – I mean, we don’t want to play at all if the jet stream isn’t going to play fair.
We will come to a more even balance this week, with temperatures starting a gradual warm up tomorrow. Highs will still be below average but mid 30s is much better than low 20s, don’t you think? As the transition is happening though, a few weak waves of energy will move through that could bring us a pop-up snow shower or rain shower. I don’t have this reflected in my 7on7 forecast though, because it looks like a “miss” for most of us. With that said, don’t be surprised if you’re a “hit” and you do see a few flakes flying around. Snow won’t accumulate though, so we’re not going to be breaking any records this weekend. That really is the best news for Pete Bouchard. That hard-working dude has been at work every weekend for the last 6 weeks straight. This weekend I say, “Stay home, Pete! Catch up on some Game of Thrones!”
The cold will finally take a hike… but it’s really just a vacation. Unfortunately, we’re back below normal by the end of next week. When you get into a pattern like we’ve been in, it’s hard to really break the pattern for good. I know this isn’t the best news in the world, but let me explain with another awkward “Bri” analogy: The cold is like your in-laws. You love them and you love it when they come to visit, but you don’t like it when they overstay their welcome or come too often. Well, it seems that this winter there’s a new baby in the family, and our in-laws (the cold) just can’t stay away too long because they want to see the little tyke grow. It looks like the in-laws (the cold) will be visiting more often than just for special occasions. Roll out the nice flatware and the bundt cake. The in-laws (the cold) are back in town by the end of next week.
Until then… Break out the hula skirts because we could hit 50 on Wednesday! Oh, and don’t forget to “spring forward” on Saturday night. You don’t want to be late for church and/or brunch on Sunday. – Bri