Flakes Have Come; Now The Hard Freeze

Clearly evident in yesterday's less than "electionable" weather was the fact that the air masses are now showing signs of winter.  With the rapid rate of fall and the cohesion of water on the flakes making them "giants", an early call for snow removal was necessary in the highest elevations in our county!  After what was an absolutely stellar sunrise, the weather quickly turned decidedly ugly as the clouds lowered and thickened and before you knew it, ice pellets were falling from the sky.  Although during the midday hours most of the precip was liquid, it was during the late daylight hours where the silver dollar sized flakes were falling from the heavens reminding us winter is on the move.  Thanks to the breeding grounds of snow covered O Canada, an Arctic High will produce our first truly hard freeze of this cold season.  First, the breeding grounds...

Next, the Arctic High as progged by the Euro...

And the subsequent forecast low temps by using  the GFS MOS (model output statistics)...

So, this upcoming Veterans Day weekend will feature our first shot of truly cold weather...how about very much below normal temps for Friday Night Lights for the first time this football season!

And for those of you who really don't mind winter weather during the run-up to Christmas, then the Euro is your model of choice...

And what that map suggests is a battle between cold to the north and warmth to the south which often spells a few bouts of wintry weather for these parts in the Mid-Atlantic.  So I'll leave y'all with this which is how yesterday's weather can be best described...Enjoy!

And remember to pause for reflection at some point this upcoming Veterans Day weekend about the "11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month"...

I'm out...

Smitty

AA:  Coldest air to date coming Saturday morning at sunrise with sunrise temps a degree or 2 either side of 20°F.  Watching a tricky situation for early next week as cold departs...?