Icy Blast Expected To Blow Fall Away Temperature In Teens Forecast For Last Weekend Before Winter
La Nina so far has done little to live up to its reputation for nasty weather.
But it’s about to redeem itself.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Spokane issued a special weather warning of potentially dangerous cold starting Friday and worsening on Saturday.
“We are looking at easily the coldest days we’ve seen this season,” forecaster John Fox said.
The weather warning, issued by Fox, cautioned Inland Northwest residents “to be prepared for significant cooling.”
Highs are forecast to dip into the teens on Saturday and Sunday. Lows could fall to minus 2 in outlying locations.
The expected rush of Arctic air will be accompanied by a chance of snow flurries Friday and stiff breezes out of the north and northeast on Saturday. Wind chills could make it feel as cold as 15 to 20 degrees below zero, Fox said.
That will be a huge change from today’s forecast high of 43.
Mild high pressure anchored over California is supposed to drift off-shore and set up the northerly flow out of the Yukon.
The timing couldn’t be more fitting. The winter solstice, marking the celestial change of season, occurs at 5:56 p.m. Monday.
A cold invasion raises the prospects for snow later next week.
“There will be a chance for snow on Christmas,” Fox said.
December normally gets about 15 inches of snow, but only 4 inches has fallen at Spokane International Airport since late November.
Since summer, weather watchers have been saying that La Nina would exaggerate normal climate trends.
Indian summer lingered almost to Halloween. Autumn rains sloshed well into December; nearly 6 inches fell in six weeks.
La Nina’s cooling of the water in the tropical Pacific is supposed to reverse the mild weather caused by El Nino last winter.
Weather expert Bob Quinn, a professor at Eastern Washington University, has said he expects at least one good month of snow, probably starting around the holidays, and intermittent Arctic outbreaks, all because of La Nina.
The fact there is no snow on the ground now may be a blessing.
Fox said snow intensifies the cold because it stops the ground from absorbing any energy from the sun during the day. It also enhances nighttime cooling.
With snow, Arctic blasts can be both miserable and maddening.
The record low for Dec. 17 is minus 20, a temperature low enough to freeze water pipes and stall cars.