Low Pressure for Thursday, High Quickly Follows

See, I told you it would get cold this morning! We got down to 32 degrees here in State College! That was the first time dipping to or below freezing since April 16. Bradford you dropped to 25 and 28 was your low in Clearfield. We rebounded rather nicely though. We are at 59 as of 4:00p with clear skies. Tonight, it will get chilly once again, but I don't think we will get as low as we did last night. I will shoot for mid 30s. Wednesday, we will see those clouds on the increase (but sill mostly to partly sunny) as a low pressure system that brought some severe storms to the southern plains will be approaching. Fortunately, we will not need to worry about severe weather here. The worst of our worries here will just be some scattered light to moderate showers. Rain should hold off until after sundown Wednesday. I'm going to say around 9 or 10p at the earliest. As hinted at before, Thursday doesn't look like it will be that much of a wash out. Although grabbing that umbrella with you as you leave for work or school on Thursday morning isn't a bad idea. Why won't this low be as strong for us as it was the Midwest? Well, the high pressure that is overhead now isn't all about leaving easily. It wants to hang around a little bit longer (which is alright with me!), but the low will have its way in the end. Once the low gets closer, the dry air above us now will help absorb the moisture (whether it be rain precipitating or just clouds) meaning less precipitation that reaches the ground. But enough about my educational rant. After Thursday, it looks like it will dry up as another area of high pressure arrives in time for the weekend. We will see partly to mostly sunny skies in State College with temperatures near 70! But that is another 3 days away. Check back later in the week for another update!

Chilly Mornings, Afternoon Warm-ups Into Tuesday

Photo taken by Adam Del Rosso on 10/6/08.

When you stepped outside this morning, I bet you noticed it was rather chilly. Here in State College, it dropped down to 45. Ok, so 45 isn't that bad, but I thought it was a little nippy. Tomorrow morning, on the other hand, you might want to bundle up a bit more than usual. Temps tomorrow morning are expected to dip down to a down right cold 35 degrees! Clear skies and light winds will allow for exceptional cooling conditions. Frost advisories have been issued for most of the state with freeze warnings farther north where temps could fall below freezing. Both advisories and warnings won't go into effect until overnight. Although, these aren't record low temperatures, they are noticeably below average. Once that sun rises and warms up the ground, things will start to change. It will progressively feel warmer as the day goes on with those clear skies dominating the area. Highs will reach the low to mid 60s which is right where they should be. A light jacket (don't forget those sun glasses too!) is all you should need for the rest of the day. Overall, a typical, beautiful autumn day! Almost a carbon copy of today. Looking beyond Tuesday, the forecast is looking a bit wet. Details tomorrow. Check back!

Improving Drought Conditions in US

After a dry summer, much of the United States is beginning to see relief as we enter the second half of autumn. According to Douglas Le Comte, drought specialist at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, “U.S. drought coverage has decreased from nearly 30 percent between mid-June and early August to about 20 percent now.” Drought severely affected the interior South this summer. Many of this hurricane season’s tropical systems have provided the south with much needed rainfall.

Here in State College, PA, we have seen a substantial change in conditions. During the beginning of the semester, all of the grass was dead and many of the trees were beginning to drop their leaves. Over the last few weeks, the region has seen a substantial change as precipitation has reached Happy Valley. As seen in NOAA’s U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook, the Centre County area is still listed as having persisting drought conditions.



"NOAA: U.S. Drought Shows Signs of Improvement." National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. 18 September 2008.

An End to the Nice Weather...

It looks as if the week is going to end on a dreary note after a gorgeous stretch of weather dating back to last week! The high pressure system that has been in control will move off the New England coast tonight and allow a low pressure system to move northward from the waters off the coast of the Carolinas.

This low will bring high clouds in tonight and tomorrow and eventually rain later tomorrow evening. The clouds are already moving into the SE counties of PA.

This is sort of an odd set up for a weather pattern in this area for this time of year. This pattern reminds me of something we might see in the winter with a Nor'Easter. They can also happen in the fall but late September is usually too soon for Nor'Easters.

The weather should deteriorate quickly in the State College area on Thursday evening with some gusty winds possible in the higher elevations and periods of rain developing overnight. Friday looks to be a dreary day with rain most of the time. The low moves to our North on Friday night and occludes which should lessen the chance for rain on Saturday as the day progresses. In the meantime, a low of tropical origin looks to effect the New England coast this weekend as well...maybe Mike would like to blog on that.

Overall, we've had a great stretch of weather but we are in for some beneficial rain to end the week. On a side note, the game against Illinois looks cool with scattered showers. GO STATE! BEAT ILLINI!

A Fantastic End to Summer

Tranquil. If I were to describe the weather over the past 6 days plus the next 6, that would be the word. We have seen partly to mostly sunny skies here in State College with temperatures right around where they should be. We have to look back to September 13th to find our last day with precipitation. This past Sunday night/early Monday morning, we did see some higher winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike, but we were sparred from the heavy rains unlike Texas. I clocked a gust up to 41 mph on campus. There were few power outages reported, but nothing compared to western PA and eastern OH. Other than that, it has been beautiful here. People are out and about playing sports, reading or just relaxing. Unfortunately, we are running out of time to do these activities as the days are getting shorter. The sun set today at 7:11p. The picture above is a picture I took on August 30, 2008 of the sun setting from Irvin Hall at PSU. The sun setting early is a sign that the autumnal equinox is quickly approaching. To be exact, it occurs on Monday at 11:44am EDT. I can't believe that summer has already come to an end! So, get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather with rest of daylight that we have!

Regional Roundup & H. Ike Aftermath

For tomorrow's Penn State vs. Temple game, we will continue to see seasonable weather as a ridge of high pressure dominates the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In several areas to our north, a Frost Advisory will remain in effect for the next several days. During the day on Sunday, a weak cold front will push across the State.

Down in Galveston, Texas, efforts are under way to aid the victims of Hurricane Ike. This image, taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey's Hurricane Ike Base Map Image Index Page of the coast along the Blue Water Highway north of Surfside Beach, illustrates the devastation left behind for residents to pickup the pieces.

The Daily Collegian

The CWS Daily Collegian Forecast Discussion for September 10, 2008:
The unseasonably warm temperatures and mostly clear skies that we enjoyed after Hanna's departure came to an abrupt end yesterday during early morning hours as a cold front pushed through the Commonwealth. For today, we will see more autumn like conditions and abundant sunshine as a high pressure system dominates the region. By Wednesday night, clouds will begin to enter the region. Clouds continue to build Thursday into Friday before scattered showers finally arrive by Friday evening, bringing a rainy start to the weekend.

Update: (9/10/08 9:00am): We are currently trying to determine why the forecast in the collegian is incorrect.

Update: (9/10/08 10:30am): The Daily Collegian was at fault for today's errors in the paper and on the web.

Regional Roundup - SE PA

Tropical Storm Cristobal is moving toward the northeast at eight miles per hour. Cristobal should not be an issue for our area except near the coast. As with Bertha, Cristobal brings an increased risk of rip currents.

Our area is currently experiencing severe thunderstorms. Many counties in the region are under severe thunderstorm watches and warnings. These storms will continue to linger into the midnight hours.

On Monday, a frontal boundary will approach from the northwest. These storms will remain isolated. Hopefully, the next few systems will bring a return to cooler weather to the region by Tuesday or Wednesday.