Big Story Weather – December 5, 2012

Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.

redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly

Big Story Weather from December 4: Heat was the big news yesterday with many records being set up and down the East Coast as high temps soared into the 70’s. The second big story was the strong to severe storms that pushed through Texas overnight along with all the showers along the frontal boundary. Lastly was all the heavy rain and mountain snows that hit the West Coast again as conditions are very saturated along the coast leaving many places prone to flooding and the snows are getting very heavy in the region.

Weather Outlook for December 5: Low pressure pushing off the East Coast will leave a few lingering showers in the region before clearing out this afternoon. A new developing low pressure is moving along the Northern Gulf which will bring more scattered showers to the region and this moisture will push into Florida by this afternoon. High pressure building in over the Great Lakes will bring partly cloudy skies to the region. Another frontal boundary is beginning to push across the Northern Rockies and this will move into the Northern Plains this evening bringing showers to the region. High pressure will bring a nice day to the Southwest. A frontal boundary off the coast will begin to bring more showers to the Pacific Northwest. Below is the weather for a few select cities.

Baltimore MD: Partly Cloudy: 48F

Houston TX: Partly Cloudy: 70F

Minneapolis MN: Partly Cloudy with evening showers: 42F

Boise ID: Mostly Cloudy with showers: 50F

San Diego CA: Partly Cloudy: 67F

International Weather Outlook for December 5: Low pressure to the West of Japan is bringing heavy rains and mountain snows to the region. This is also expanding westward back into the Koreas along with strong winds in the region. The Philippines are now slowly recovering as the Typhoon has moved on to the west and is in the South China Sea moving towards mainland China. High pressure over the Tibetan Plateau will bring partly cloudy skies to Eastern China today. Low pressure moving through Central Europe is bringing snow to the north and showers to the south in the region. Another area of low pressure to the north of England is bringing scattered cloud cover to the region. A strong area of low pressure is moving in from the west around the tip of South America bringing showers to the region. High pressure over Southeast Australia is creating partly cloudy skies in the region, while a low pressure moving across the North is bringing showers to that part of the region. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.

Tokyo Japan: Mostly Cloudy with Showers and a low near 5C.

Guam USA: Partly Cloudy with a low near 23C.

Shanghai China: Partly Cloudy with a low near 4C.

London England: Partly Cloudy with a low near -1C.

Brisbane Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 23C.

December 5, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:

Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving through Northeast Europe towards Russia will bring showers and snow showers to the region. Another low pressure moving through Central Europe is bringing showers and snow to the region. A third low pressure is moving into Western Europe this storm will bring heavy rain to places and also strong winds. In the Central Atlantic another wave is moving across towards the Northeast and will begin to impact Spain within the next couple of days. A weak area of low pressure is sitting over Western Africa and should remain fairly stationary over the next couple of days. Low pressure is moving through Northeast Canada and the associated frontal boundary is bringing showers to the Northeast US. Another low is developing along the frontal boundary in the Gulf of Mexico this low will push towards Florida.

Eastern Pacific: Low pressure moving through Western Canada and the associated frontal boundary is impacting the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains today with mountain snows and rains. Another low pressure is moving through the Pacific towards the east and will continue to be an open ocean storm for the next few days. Lastly, another low pressure is beginning to enter the Western Gulf of Alaska. This low will move towards Alaska over the next few days.

Western Pacific: Typhoon Bopha currently has winds around 80kts and a pressure of 963mb as it is now moving west of the Philippines and will continue to create large impacts in the region with very heavy rains, damaging winds and storm surge all up and down the Western facing shores. Low pressure to the West of Japan is bringing strong winds, heavy rains and higher elevation snows to Western Japan and also the Korea’s.

Indian Ocean: A tropical low is to the South of India it right now has a moderate chance of developing into a tropical system as winds are currently around 25kts and a pressure of 1004mb.

Southern Hemisphere: A low pressure is pushing to the East towards the tip of South America bringing with it a few showers to the Western Shores. Low pressure to the Northwest of Australia will start to impact the region with showers and extensive cloud cover for the Northwest portion of Australia.

Five Day Storm Index Outlook for December 5-9:

Baltimore MD: The period will be tranquil until the 9th when a frontal boundary moves through the area giving the region a slight chance of impacts in the form of rain showers.

Houston TX: A nice period with high pressure will keep the region impact free until the 9th when the next frontal boundary begins to bring thunderstorms back into the region with a slight impact.

Minneapolis MN: Today and tomorrow the region will see some light rain move through creating slight impacts, followed by a break on the 8th before a chance of snow moves in on the 9th bringing another chance for slight impacts.

Boise ID: Showers today will bring a slight impact to the region. The 6th and 7th will be nice followed by another frontal boundary on the 8th which will have slight impacts on the region.

San Diego CA: The period will see no impacts over the next five days.

Climate Watch for November 30-December 4:

Baltimore MD: The period started with temps around 1 degree below average followed by a significant warm up as temps rose to around 6 degrees above average to further 20-21degrees above average to finish the period.

Houston TX: The period started with temps around 10 degrees above average with a warm up to around 15-17 degrees above average.

Minneapolis MN: The temps were around 3 degrees above average followed by a warming trend with temps hitting 16-24 degrees above average.

Boise ID: The period has seen temps running around 15-22 degrees above average the entire period.

San Diego CA: Temps started about 2-3 degrees above average and have remained around 1-3 degrees above average.

Major Weather Impacts Discussion for December 5, 2012:

Day 1-3: The frontal boundary will push off the East Coast today allowing for high pressure to rapidly build in over the Great Lakes. The frontal boundary and newly developed low will impact the Gulf Coast and Florida bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. A weak frontal boundary will move through the Northern Rockies and Plains today bringing light rain to the region. High pressure over the Southern Rockies will provide nice weather to the region and this will expand into the Southwest. Another frontal boundary will be impacting the Pacific Northwest with more rain and mountain snows.

Day 4-7: The period will start with a low pressure moving into the Northeast bringing rain and higher elevation snows to the region. Another low pressure will be pushing into the Northern Plains and will have some moderate snow chances with it for the Dakotas. High pressure will begin to push into the majority of the West Coast with a weak frontal boundary still impacting the Pacific Northwest near Seattle. The middle of the period will have a strong low over the Great Lakes bringing rain to the East Coast and the potential for some significant snows over the Great Lakes and Eastern Plains in Iowa and Minnesota. High pressure will be building in over the Rockies. The period will end with the low in the Northeast bringing heavy coastal rains along with moderate snow on the western side of it over the Eastern Lakes. High pressure will be over the Gulf Coast region, while another weak frontal boundary will be approaching the Northern Plains. High pressure will be over the West Coast.

Day 8-12:  The period will start with high pressure along the East Coast and a developing low pressure in the Western Gulf of Mexico. A weak frontal boundary will also be pushing through the Northern Plains. High pressure will be in control of the weather out west.

Day 13-15: The period will start with a frontal boundary moving through the Great Lakes and also along the Gulf Coast with showers and snow showers in the Great Lakes region. High pressure will be moving through the Northern Plains. A frontal boundary will begin to approach the Pacific Northwest. The end of the period will find another Gulf Low working its way into the Southeast with heavy rains and strong storms. High pressure will be building in over the Northern Plains.

Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Portland Oregon:

Wednesday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and cool as high temps hit 48F, winds from the Southeast around 2-7mph with overnight lows around 36F.

Thursday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and cool with high temps near 44F, winds from the Southwest around 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 40F.

Friday: Mostly Cloudy with showers as high temps hit 42F, winds from the Southwest around 2-7mph along with overnight lows near 37F.

Saturday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and a high near 40F, winds will be from the Southeast around 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 36F.

Sunday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and a tad bit warmer as high temps hit 46F, winds will be from the Southwest around 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 40F.

Ask The Weatherman for December 5:

Question: What are the types of stratus clouds?

Answer: There are multiple types of stratus clouds. The first type is Fog which is the cloud that is laying on the ground. The second is stratus which is usually found within the first 2,000ft of the ground. There is also alto stratus which is a tad bit higher in height usually around 12,000ft. And then there is also cirro-stratus which is a high cloud above 20,000ft. This is the major stratus clouds that we have in our atmosphere.

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Green Energy Weather Report for December 5:

Wave Energy: The frontal boundary off the coast of the Pacific Northwest will be the site of some good wave energy again today. Also as the frontal boundary moves through the Gulf of Mexico anticipate seeing some waves generated in this region as well.

Solar Energy: Today we are looking at the Central and Southern Plains as being a good solar energy places along with the Southwest.

Wind Energy: The frontal boundaries along the Pacific Northwest will make the region a great wind energy location again today. A frontal boundary moving through the Northern Rockies will also provide some wind energy. The Eastern Great Lakes will also provide some good wind energy today.

Hydro-Energy: The Pacific Northwest will see another day of heavy rains and snows which will provide some good hydro energy again today. A second area is in the Northern Rockies with the frontal boundary moving through the region. A third will be along the Gulf Coast associated with the frontal boundary. One last place will be in the Northeast behind another trailing cold front.

December 5 Weather and Your Wallet (New York NY):

Dining: A very cold evening in store so make sure to wear a heavy jacket if you are attending an outdoor eating venue.

Transportation: No problems so it should be a great day for taking a drive through Rush Hour.

Shopping: A cool day so make sure to put a jacket on if you have any outdoor shopping plans as temps this evening will fall to near freezing.

Electricity: A significant day for heating as the high temps of around 50F will not provide much help. Expect to see around 24HDD days today, with a high majority of them coming between Midnight and 6AM.

Agriculture: Nothing major, but if you have any plants that are sensitive to freezing bring them in for the overnight hours.

Construction: A cool, dry day will make for nice outdoor construction conditions. However, if you are working on any elevated projects, watch out for the stronger winds around 20mph.

Outdoor Venues: Partly Cloudy skies will make for a nice day to take a walk in Central Park. However this evening you will want to make sure and bundle up.

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