A snow no-show

Public weather briefing

The recent cold pool of air over the region has now departed to the east, allowing for slightly warmer temperatures today. This trend looks set to continue for the weekend and into next week, with day temperatures much higher than average for this time of year. There will also be plenty of sunny spells, with mostly clear conditions throughout the week and no obvious signs of precipitation. Cold temperatures at night will result from this lack of cloud cover.

Forecast 

Tonight. Mostly clear and bitterly cold, with lows in the mid 20's.

Friday. Sunny with light winds. High around 45.

Friday night. Mostly clear, with lows in the upper 20's.

Saturday. Continued sunny conditions and above-average temperatures, with highs around 47. Partly cloudy over night and lows around 31.

Sunday. Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40's. Continued cloud cover into the night, with lows in the upper 20's.

Outlook for Monday through Wednesday. Steady conditions, with little change from day to day for the first half of next week. During the day it will be mostly sunny and temperatures will reach the mid 40's - still much higher than average for this time of year. By night, temperatures will fall to the lower 30's and some cloud will be present, but no precipitation.  [CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM]

Forecast Discussion

The cold pool of air over southern Wisconsin has departed to the east, allowing for warmer air to fill in from the central plains. A strong ridge to the west of the Rockies will move eastward, providing favourable conditions for a high pressure system over the central plains to intensify. Over the weekend, this high will develop into a strong anticyclone and moves north-eastward towards the Midwest, causing subsidence over our area. This factor, plus continued warm air advection from the south, will cause the temperatures for the week ahead to be much warmer than average for this time of year.

Rich Johnson