Big Story Weather – January 4, 2013

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

redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly

Big Story weather from January 3: The major story of the day was the significant winter storm that moved through Southwest Texas as some places like El Paso saw over 4 inches. As of this morning some of those same places are expected to see more snow through the early part of today. The next big story was the cold weather that filtered into the Gulf Coast region where many places only saw high temps in the upper 40’s.

Weather Outlook for January 4: Low pressure and the associated frontal boundary are moving through the Northeast bringing a few snow showers to the region. High pressure over the Southeast will make for a cool and dry day in the region. The storm system in Texas will shift slightly eastward today towards the Gulf of Mexico. High pressure over the Western Rockies will bring partly cloudy skies to the Northern Plains all the way back to the West Coast. Below is the weather for a few select cities.

Buffalo NY: Partly Cloudy: 32F

Gulfport MS: Partly Cloudy: 52F

Fargo ND: Partly Cloudy: 27F

Boise ID: Partly Cloudy: 35F

Seattle WA: Partly Cloudy: 44F



International Weather Outlook for January 4: High pressure over Japan will bring partly cloudy skies to the region and this will extend back westward into the Koreas and also Eastern China. The monsoonal trough will be pushing moisture across a good portion of Southeast Asia today and into India. High pressure over Spain will bring partly cloudy skies to the region a cold front extending through Eastern Europe will bring some higher elevation snows along with low level rains. Low pressure moving through the Southern tip of South America will bring winds and rain to the region. High pressure to the east of Australia will bring nice weather back to the majority of Australia today. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.

Sapporo Japan: Partly Cloudy with a low near -4C

Manila Philippines: Partly Cloudy with a low near 25C

New Delhi India: Partly Cloudy with a few thunderstorms and a low near 24C

Portugal Spain: Sunny with a low near 9C

Brisbane Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 22C

January 4, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:

Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving towards England will bring showers to the region along with increased winds and seas. Low pressure moving towards the Gulf of Mexico will continue to impact the Texas region. Another area of low pressure is moving through Southeast Canada with the associated cold front pushing through the Northeast.

Eastern Pacific: Low pressure has moved onshore over Western Canada bringing moderate winds and rain along with higher elevation snows. Low pressure moving towards the West Coast of Canada will bring showers and increased seas to the region. Another area of low pressure is now moving towards the middle of the Gulf of Alaska and will move towards Alaska over the weekend. A low pressure system moving northeast of Hawaii will make its way slowly towards the California coast over the weekend.

Western Pacific: Low pressure moving into Western Siberia will bring snow to the region, while another low pressure area is moving into Central Asia will also bring heavier snows to the region. Low pressure is moving across the dateline and will push into the Western Gulf of Alaska this weekend. Tropical Storm Sonamu has developed and is now moving towards Southeast Asia with winds around 35kts and a pressure of 996mb.

Indian Ocean: The monsoonal trough is very active again today with multiple areas of convection and one area of low pressure that has winds around 15kts and a pressure of 1010mb just off the coast of India.

Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone Freda continues to weaken with winds around 35kts and a pressure of 996mb as it continues to push southeastward. Also Tropical Cyclone Dumile is moving east of Madagascar rapidly towards the southeast with winds around 70kts and a pressure of 970mb. Another area of low pressure is moving east of the Fiji Islands and also a stronger low pressure is beginning to move towards South America which will bring strong winds and seas to the region. Another area of low pressure is pushing south of Africa towards the east.

Five Day Storm Index Outlook for January 4-8:

Buffalo NY: A very nice week ahead with little to no impacts forecasted for the area.

Gulfport MS: A quiet start to the period with a chance of seeing thunderstorms on the 8th which will bring the region into a moderate impact.

Fargo ND: No impacts forecasted for the week.

Boise ID: A quiet start to the period followed by a chance of seeing snow during the 6th and 7th which will bring a slight impact to the region.

Seattle WA: No impacts for today, however tomorrow and again on the 6th and 8th quickly moving systems will bring rain to the region and slight impacts.

Climate Watch for December 30- January 3:

Buffalo NY: The period started about 2 degrees below average and then warmed to around 2-3 degrees above average before falling to around 1-5 degrees below average to finish the period.

Gulfport MS: The period started around 1-8 degrees below average and then warmed to around 7 degrees above average followed by another cool down with temps falling to around 6-13 degrees below average.

Fargo ND: The period started about 1 degree above average before falling briefly to around 6 degrees below average and then finished the period on a warming trend with temps around 2-9 degrees above average.

Boise ID: A cold period of temps which have been ranging from around 10-13 degrees below the entire period.

Seattle WA: The period has seen temps running around 2-8 degrees below average.

Major Weather Impacts Discussion for January 4, 2013:

Day 1-3: A frontal boundary that is pushing through the Northeast will bring a few snow showers to the region, while high pressure over the Mississippi River Valley will bring partly cloudy skies to a major portion of the US. Also a low pressure moving through Southwest Texas will bring rain and snow for the majority of the morning to the region. High pressure over the Rockies will bring nice weather to the majority of the West Coast. Towards the end of the period a low pressure system will push through the Great Lakes bringing some snow to the region and the frontal boundary in the Northern Gulf of Mexico may bring a few showers to the Gulf Coast region, while high pressure will be over the Rockies with another frontal boundary moving into the West Coast.

Day 4-7: The period will start with some moisture in the Northeast and then high pressure over the Ohio River Valley along with a frontal boundary moving through the Northern Plains and the associated frontal boundary back into the Northwest. The middle of the period will have high pressure over the East Coast, while another low will be developing in the Texas region bringing showers and thunderstorms to the area. High pressure will build in from the Southwest into the Northern Plains and another frontal boundary will be moving on shore over the Pacific Northwest. The period will end with high pressure along the East Coast again, while a very potent weather system will be moving into the Gulf Coast region with the chance of seeing some severe weather, and snow will develop on the backside of this system over the Southern Plains. High pressure will be over the Southwest, while a very strong low pressure system will be impacting the Pacific Northwest with significant weather.

Day 8-12: The period will begin with a significant storm system moving up the East Coast, while high pressure builds in over the Southern Plains and another storm system will be moving through the Northern Plains. The middle of the period will have high pressure along the East Coast, while another low pressure system will be moving into the Southwest. The end of the period will have the low moving into the Southern Plains bringing a wide array of rain and snow to a vast portion of the Plains. High pressure will be building in over the West Coast.

Day 13-15: The period will start with a very potent storm system moving through the Midwest and Ohio River Valley with severe weather and blizzard conditions impacting a large area. High pressure will be over the Southwest, while another frontal boundary will be moving into the Northwest. The period will end very active and also a push of some of the coldest air of the season will begin to enter the United States during this time.

Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for San Diego CA:

Friday: Partly Cloudy and mild with a high near 62F, winds will be light and variable. The overnight lows will fall to around 55F.

Saturday: Increasing Clouds and mild with a high near 62F, winds from the Northwest around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 53F.

Sunday: Mostly Cloudy with periods of showers and a high near 58F, winds will be gusty from the Northwest around 18-23mph as overnight lows fall to around 50F.

Monday: Partly Cloudy and cooler with a high near 56F, winds will be from the Northwest around 7-12mph as overnight lows fall to around 50F.

Tuesday: Partly Cloudy and warmer with a high near 64F, winds from the Northeast around 7-12mph as overnight lows fall to around 60F.

Ask The Weatherman for January 4, 2013:

Question: What is a Climate Cycle?

Answer: Great question from our Facebook Page! Everyone knows how much I love to talk about Climate. Climate Cycles are defined as a period of at least 30 years and consist of a warming period and a cooling period which gives us an average temperature and precipitation that we can base our yearly standards off of. Climate cycles are important to the Earth and keeping it in balanced as each warming period is followed by a cooling period. If we look at some past climate events we can see extensive periods of ice followed by huge ice melts like what we are seeing now. The climate cycles are driven hugely by the sun as it also goes through cycles that help run the Earth’s climate cycles.

*** To have your question of the day answered or have your city spotlighted for the day make sure to visit redOrbit on Facebook. ***

Green Energy Weather Report for January 4, 2013:

Wave Energy: An approaching frontal boundary to the west will bring increased wave energy to the region and also along the Gulf Coast expect to see some moderate wave energy today.

Solar Energy: The majority of the United States will see some great solar energy conditions today.

Wind Energy: The West Coast will have a small region of wind energy along the coast and a secondary area will develop over the Southwest portion of Texas behind the surface low and then a third spot in the Northeast behind the cold front that is pushing through the area.

Hydro-Energy: A small portion of snowfall along the West Coast and also another region in Southwest Texas which will develop both short term and some long term snowfall pack. The Northeast will see a few snow showers move through which will help build a base for long term hydro energy.

January 4 Weather and Your Wallet (Sioux Falls SD):

Dining: A very cold day in store so you may want to take your lunch to work or make sure the car is warm before heading out the door to eat.

Transportation: No major issues forecasted today.

Shopping: A cold day outside, however that could make for a great day of shopping at the malls, just make sure to wear that winter coat.

Electricity: A massive day of heating is going to be required as the HDD’s could approach 47.0 which will lead to a heavy requirement of heating during the overnight hours and also all day a big need for heating usage.

Yard Work: A cold day but if you need to head out make sure to bundle up.

Construction: A day that will be very cold to anyone that has to do outdoor construction jobs today.

Outdoor Venues: Definitely bundle up if you need to walk the pet at the park.

redOrbit.com
offers Science, Space, Technology, Health news, videos, images and
reference information. For the latest science news, space news,
technology news, health news visit redOrbit.com frequently. Learn
something new every day.\”

Source: