NEW YORK(PIX11) — Something is happening to New York that we have not seen for a long time. Temperatures will rise above freezing for this week during the day. Even better is the long-term outlook from the Climate Prediction Center, there is 50-60% chance of above normal temperatures between February 15 and 19.
Before looking forward to the good. We need to look back at how cold it was.
NYC forecast and PIX11’s Weather Center
Sunday morning’s wind chill in Central Park was -16 degrees. The last time we were that cold was back on February 4, 2023, when the wind chill was -15.
Elsewhere in the region, Port Jervis, NY, saw a wind chill of -32 degrees shortly after midnight on Saturday night.
Moving forward now, the polar vortex that has been driving down the frigid airmass retreats back to the north. That at least helps daytime highs to climb above freezing and melts some of the snow that has with us for 2 weeks.
Credit: NOAA
There may be a system over the weekend and early next week that may bring the next chance of precipitation. Whether that is snow, rain, or a mix is still to be determined that far out.
Unlike the previous storm that brought the snow and the dangerous chills for over a week, the polar jet will stay to the north. That will keep the frigid air to the north. There may even be a ridge of high pressure next week, and that would signal milder temperatures.
Just how mild? Temperatures may make their way further up into the 40s next week, and that should allow for a lot of the snow to finally melt. While temperatures will be above normal, we will miss out on a big-time warm-up that occurs over the Mississippi Valley, where temperatures may even reach the 50s in Michigan.
Could our region hit the 50s? It doesn’t look like it as temperatures turn colder heading into the following weekend as an arctic air mass drives south to the northeastern US.
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