Weather Musings for mid January

The Vernal Equinox is exactly nine weeks from today. We are nearly one-third of the way through Winter. Major league pitchers and catchers report to Spring training in just over four weeks. Can Spring be far behind? Don't get too carried away, though. Although this morning is rather mild, it will turn blustery and much colder this afternoon, and some light snow is expected tomorrow night.

Ralph Fato took the following photos earlier this week from the Mianus River and Cove Park in Stamford. He wrote, "(There were) some cool formations at the river today. (It's) amazing with a mild winter that just a couple days below 30 degrees ice starts to become present. But, (this is) a far cry from how it looked last year this time."

If you're looking forward to Spring, the most optimistic sign in mid January is the increasing daylight. The Sun sets at 4:52 this afternoon, and by the end of the month Sunset will happen at 5:08. Compare that to one month ago when the Sun fell below the horizon at 4:23 prior to the Winter Solstice. We've gained nearly a half-hour of daylight in the late-afternoon since the first day of Winter. By February 10, the rate of increased daylight accelerates, and we gain about 2.5 minutes of Sun each day.

Climatologically, we've hit rock bottom as far as the normal average high and low temperatures are concerned. Based on 40 years of data, the average high and low temperatures for January 18 are 36 and 23 degrees, respectively. The numbers don't get lower than that. By the start of February, the averages begin building, and the average afternoon high temperature reaches 40 degrees by February 20.

Two other benchmarks of Winter are Groundhog Day, which is just two weeks away, and the season's official midpoint, February 4. Those of us counting the days until Spring are eagerly awaiting word from Punxatawney Phil or any of his "relatives" as to whether we'll have to endure six additional weeks of Winter. This Winter has been extremely quiet as far as snow is concerned. That certainly wasn't the case last year, though, when a whopping 60 inches of snow fell from late December through January.

Make sure to bring your coat and hat as you head out the door this morning. The mercury will fall from 50 degrees early this morning into the 30s this afternoon, and there will be a gusty wind out of the Northwest. Tonight will be mostly clear and much colder with lows of 12 to 20 degrees. Clouds increase tomorrow with flurries or light snow developing by evening, and it may make for a slippery commute Friday morning.

Paul