Spokane7
56°
January 11, 2012 in City, Idaho
Cold, dry weather to turn snowy next week
Colder temperatures and dry air this week should give way to a major change in the weather pattern over the Inland Northwest with accumulating snow an increasing likelihood next week.
National Weather Service forecasters in recent days have been watching computer forecast models which have shown a series of scenarios in which cold air from the northwest combines with moisture off the Pacific to bring a potential for snow across the region starting in the mountains on Sunday.
Until then, highs for the next few days will be near 30 with lows near 20 under mostly sunny skies and calm conditions.
Computer models have wavered between colder and drier weather next week and moisture laden clouds mixing with the cold.
For now, forecasters expect snow chances in the 20 percent range on Saturday increasing to 40 percent Sunday and 50 percent as the work week begins.
At 8 a.m., it was 19 at Spokane International Airport.
Returning farmland to a state of nature 
CougarGold on January 11 at 11:04 a.m.
Oh Yeah!!! Bring it on!!!
liberal_in_right_wing_land on January 11 at 11:06 a.m.
Yeah right, the weather service has been dead on so far this year.
Ed Byrnes on January 11 at 11:57 a.m.
Although the prevailing conditions this season (a) made me happy for the November powder days we had, and (b) offer great practice for the glacier skiing I will do in the Alps in April, I would indeed welcome some powder in the near future here.
Ed
RedCedar on January 11 at 2:10 p.m.
So far the jet stream has been staying north of our area. The best snow scenario is for it to hit the coast in northern BC, drop south parallel the coast just inland, and then head east somewhere around our latitude. That usually leads to the arctic front moving south. At that point whether we get heavy snow or clear and cold weather depends on whether the arctic front moves quickly south and past us, or stalls for a while while successive maritime lows run up against it from the southwest.
The computers don’t seem to be much good at predicting that, one way or the other, but what is clear is that there is an unusually cold air mass over the North Pole and that it’s been remarkably stationary all winter, just getting colder and colder, without sending any significant pulses of cold air to the south. The Earth’s overall atmospheric circulation continually dumps cold air onto the poles from the upper atmosphere. Eventually this cold high pressure air mass must work its way south somewhere. For now, Nome and Fairbanks are setting record low temperatures, while Cordova, on the coast and on the current edge of the arctic air mass, has gotten buried under 18 feet of snow.
I predict that this unusually persistent and cold arctic high will eventually break out somewhere pretty soon and will make for some pretty spectacular blizzards. I wouldn’t hazard as guess as to whether it will be in the west, in the east, or even in Europe or Siberia, though.
polistra on January 11 at 7:40 p.m.
Cliff Mass, who generally has a good handle on both data and common sense, sees a good chance for significant snow next week, but not a monster. Probably enough to need plowing.
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2012/01/increasing-threat-of-snow.html