Cold, then snow/sleet, then cold, then pattern flip?

We bottomed out officially at O’Hare at -2F this morning. We didn’t set a record (-12F in 1901) but yesterday was the earliest high temp <10F in 21 years. So this is very unusual even if not actually record-breaking.

 

Temps are going to be stuck in the single digits today, but after sunset the winds will swing around to the south in advance of our storm and temps will actually rise throughout the night. Tomorrow (Friday) will see temps climbing toward the low/mid 20s, but snow moves in during the afternoon. Despite some absurd numbers I’ve seen floating around, there is not much threat for more than a few inches of snow tomorrow. But the timing (afternoon/evening rush on a Friday in December) combined with very cold temps/pavement could make for a traffic and airport nightmare. We’ve seen this before and it usually doesn’t end well.

 

Light snow is likely overnight Friday into Saturday as temps continue to climb. The storm total through Saturday looks to be about 3-4” but I would put at least a 2” margin of error on that. We are right on the edge of a big winter storm with very heavy snow likely just to our north in southern Wisconsin and freezing rain or sleet likely just to our south. It doesn’t take much of a shift to have a dramatic impact on the result.

 

By Saturday noon we could well top 32F for the first time in days, but the cost will be a threat of some freezing rain and/or sleet. Again, keep an eye on travel problems. Hopefully roads will be well treated, but any ice accumulations could obviously pose a big problem.

 

Temps will then plunge again on Saturday night, approaching or falling below 0F by daybreak Sunday. The daytime high on Sunday might struggle to break zero, and there is some chance we’ll set the record for the coldest Bears home game on record.

 

Beyond that, things look much milder in the 10-14 day range. We should get back to season normal toward the middle of next week and there don’t appear to be any more arctic outbreaks through Christmas and the week leading up to New Year’s Day. We could even average just above normal for that period.

 

 

 

 

This email is confidential and intended only for the recipient(s). If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender at compliance@anabaticllc.com and delete this message and any attachments. This message is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or offer to buy any financial instruments. Please see the full disclaimer at www.anabaticllc.com.