BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – It is January, after all!
First off, this week looks fantastic. Highs in the 50s and 60s, lows in the 30s and 40s, with one quick round of rain possible nearing the weekend. Not that you asked, but THIS weather is why I love Texas winters. Go out and get some Vitamin D after a full week of gray skies!
Beyond this weekend, another Arctic front looks to bombard Texas with more cold, dry air. It’s what happens AFTER that that’s already grabbing social media headlines yet again.
This is the stage we’re in right now. Long range model data is actually pretty decent at picking up “signals” of pattern change: A move from a pronounced summer ridge to a more “active” jetstream, a period of calm after several rounds of thunderstorms, a wobble in the polar vortex that can help usher a big Arctic airmass, etc.
The pattern we’re picking up on toward the end of the month? A deep, broad dip in the polar jetstream that could vault us right back to winter after some sunshine and slightly above average temperatures.
Why is precipitation (especially the type) much harder to predict this far out?…