legalskier
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*** In the contiguous U.S., the average temperature for January was 36.3°F which is 5.5°F above normal range. This makes the month not only the fourth warmest of its kind in history, but also the warmest since 2006.
"It's warmer this year mainly because of the jet stream pattern," said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Michael Pigott. "Generally, for the most part of the winter, it has been on a west-to-east pattern. Meteorologists refer to this as a 'zonal flow.' Essentially, we've seen a lot of storms moving from west to east, and not a lot traveling northward or southward. So, anything in the Arctic is staying up there, and anything in the U.S. is staying put as well. If you have north-to-south undulations in the jet stream, you do get warmer air heading northward to the poles, and colder air comes down toward the U.S. from the Arctic."...
....The warm trend may continue through the end of February and into March, but temperatures are not expected to be as high as they were in January.
"It looks like the pattern will be similar for most of the country, but not to the same extent," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston. "We are getting in a pattern where we're more susceptible to cold air masses coming down. However, that doesn't mean they're going to stay. They're still going to be progressive. That means cooler temperatures will come in for only a few days, then disappear again."
Intermittent stretches of cooler air will bring overall average temperatures closer to normal for the months ahead. ***
Full story: http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/4th-warmest-january-on-record/61356
"It's warmer this year mainly because of the jet stream pattern," said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Michael Pigott. "Generally, for the most part of the winter, it has been on a west-to-east pattern. Meteorologists refer to this as a 'zonal flow.' Essentially, we've seen a lot of storms moving from west to east, and not a lot traveling northward or southward. So, anything in the Arctic is staying up there, and anything in the U.S. is staying put as well. If you have north-to-south undulations in the jet stream, you do get warmer air heading northward to the poles, and colder air comes down toward the U.S. from the Arctic."...
....The warm trend may continue through the end of February and into March, but temperatures are not expected to be as high as they were in January.
"It looks like the pattern will be similar for most of the country, but not to the same extent," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston. "We are getting in a pattern where we're more susceptible to cold air masses coming down. However, that doesn't mean they're going to stay. They're still going to be progressive. That means cooler temperatures will come in for only a few days, then disappear again."
Intermittent stretches of cooler air will bring overall average temperatures closer to normal for the months ahead. ***
Full story: http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/4th-warmest-january-on-record/61356
