Mild Start to the Week

The transition from winter to spring weather was rather short this year don't you think? It was less than a week ago that we had a couple of the coldest days of winter. For most of this week temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s. The cause for the change is partly because of a northward shift in the jet stream, but mostly because a big high pressure system is keeping the arctic front well to our north. In other words, don't get your hopes up warm weather fans. Until the jet stream retreats well northward we can expect large changes in day-to-day temperatures.

A few high clouds will be around today, but it should be an otherwise fair day with a high in the mid-50s. A little warmer tomorrow. Wednesday should be the warmest day of the week. Highs will be in the mid- to upper-60s. Wednesday should also be the start of several days of rain. The arctic front will start moving southward as the high pressure system weakens. The push of the front combined with the warmth and humidity ahead of it will kick off a bit of rain. It is too early to tell if the rain will be widespread or of the hit-or-miss variety. In either case, rain looks like a good bet from Wednesday through Friday.

The cold front finally gets here sometime on Friday. Expect to see more seasonable temperatures, with highs only in the mid-40s by the end of the week and through the weekend.

Today is the anniversary of the "Great White Hurricane," the Great Blizzard of 1888. Did you know that the devastation wrought upon the city's transportation system by the great blizzard was a major impetus to building the subway system?

This morning's calm surface weather map from weather.com.