Warm Advection to the Rescue
Warm Advection to the Rescue
Everybody knows it gets warmer when the sun is out, but sometimes we get some help from the wind. Normally people associate a winter wind with cold, since the flow of air removes heat generated by the body. However, when a strong, persistent wind blows from the southwest, the wind may transport warm air from the southern part of the country to New England. Meteorologists call the transport by wind of an atmospheric property (in this case heat) advection.
Sometimes advection can override the diurnal cycle of warm and cold. Today a low pressure system approaches us from the west, and the counterclockwise flow around the low pressure helps set up a flow from the southwest in our region. The temperature tonight will actually remain steady, as warm air is advected from the south and clouds help prevent the loss of surface radiation to space. Temperatures will continue to rise tomorrow and tomorrow night, reaching as high as 50°F (10°C). Rain will move into the area as the low pressure center moves towards us on Thursday. Once the low moves further eastward and a cold front passes, shutting off the warm advection, temperatures will return to more seasonal values.
Extended Forecast
Tonight: Cloudy. Temperatures steady in the upper 30s °F (3°C).
Tomorrow: Cloudy. Temperatures rising into the upper 40s °F (9°C) throughout the day and evening.
Tomorrow night: Cloudy. Temperatures peaking around 50°F (10°C).
Thursday: Rain. Temperatures falling from 45°F (7°C) in the morning to 35°F (2°C) in the evening.
Friday: Sunny. High in the mid 40s °F (7°C).