Friday Night Snow Then Dangerously Cold Temps

We've made it to Friday, and there is only one week of school until the public schools enjoy their February break. February break always seems to come upon us very quickly. Maybe school officials should think about pushing it back a week or two, as the stretch between February break and April break without a holiday is quite long. 

An Alberta clipper will pass through our area late tonight and drop 1-3 inches of snow on the County by Saturday afternoon. The snow will be light and fluffy and should be easy to clear. Roads will be snow-covered for a stretch but should be fine if motorists take a little extra time.

NWS Albany snow projection for the Friday/Saturday clipper.

Then the cold kicks in and the winds pick up. Temps will bottom out between -5 and -10 Sunday morning, and some places will see 30-40 mph wind gusts. That drops the "real feel" temp to -25 to -35 degrees. Exposed skin can get frostbitten in about 10 minutes in those conditions so bundle up.

The North American model's temperature forecast for 6 AM Monday. Freeze delays are possible.

The high temp on Super Bowl Sunday will be in the single digits, which means Monday morning will also be very cold. Again, we'll see temps around -5 to -10. This means freeze delays are in play for Monday morning. A Patriots win coupled with a two-hour freeze delay would be a delightful way to start the week.

Your Standard Winter Week Ahead (Feb. 2-6)

The week of February 2-6 will be the most basic of winter weeks. We'll see highs in the 20s during the day, lows in the teens at night, and a chance for an inch or two of snow on Friday. Very basic, very boring, and no weather-related delays or cancellations are expected.

Our friend Phil the groundhog did see his shadow down in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania this morning, which means we have another 6 weeks of winter ahead of us. Given the cold and relatively snow-filled season we've had already, this makes sense.

Punxsutawney Phil

The only unusual weather to look out for is another shot of very cold air next weekend. After the clipper system enters our area on Friday afternoon through Friday night, more bitter cold air comes in behind it. Daily highs on the weekend will only be in the single digits Saturday and Sunday.

Get outside and enjoy the milder temps this week. It will be a great week for sledding, snowshoeing, skiing and other winter outdoor activities.

Cold Advisory & the Weekend Nor'easter

We hit a new temperature low this morning at GSD Headquarters, with a reading of -7 on the thermometer. With no cloud cover and no breeze, the temps plummeted overnight due to radiational cooling.

Temps will be very low Friday morning, but there will be a stiff breeze to add to our discomfort. With expected wind chill values in the low -20s, NWS Albany has put up a Cold Weather Advisory for our area.

We don't think this will be enough for freeze delays, but there is a chance that a few diesel engine buses don't start and the start of school is delayed. Again, confidence is low of this situation playing out.

Saturday morning is going to be very cold with some areas seeing -10 degrees. Had these temps been predicted for a school day, we would definitely have seen a few freeze delays.

Saturday morning's forecasted temperatures. Bundle up!

Unfortunately, our nor'easter will be exiting stage left and heading out to sea. Rhode Island, Boston, and the Cape may pick up several inches but not us. The storm will kick up a strong breeze so again will contend with low wind chill values on Sunday and Monday.

We've looked at the longer-range models and nothing big is on the horizon. The cold will moderate slightly but no days will get above freezing for the next 10 days.