Yesterday afternoon, as scattered showers were moving throught the area… the clouds broke up a bit.  This brought about a beautiful sight… a rainbow!  Perhaps to remind us that things aren’t so bad… even though the weather hasn’t been the best…

Thanks to John Parmley of Miami Township for sending in the picture above!

Our slow-moving low is keeping things unsettled across the region this morning:

Not only will we see the clouds and showers again today… it will be another cool one.  Temperatures this time of year are normally in the lower 60s… but today, we will struggle to get out of the 40s!  Expect scattered showers to work back into the Miami Valley as we head into the late morning/early afternoon.  To add insult to injury, the winds will also increase this afternoon.  Not the best of days to be outdoors! 

Wednesday will see some lingering showers, but the low will finally pull away, bringing about dry weather for the second half of the week.  The clouds will part Wednesday night into Thursday morning.  This will allow temperatures to dip down near 34 degrees, and some of the outlying areas could be into the lower 30s.  This means scattered frost… be careful if you have already done your spring planting!  After a frosty start Thursday morning, the sun will come out… and the afternoon looks great!

And what a warm-up for Friday and Saturday!  Take a look at our 850mb chart for Saturday:

This is what temperatures are forecast to be about 5,000 feet up in the atmosphere.  We look to be near 14-degrees, Celsius, which… with enough sun… would put us near 80 degrees at this time of year!  We use this 850 mb track warm/cold airmasses.  It’s called ”thermal advection”… Warm Air Advection (WAA) and Cold Air Advection (CAA).    The 850 mb chart basically marks the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL).  In the PBL, we have friction… which slows/alters the movement of airmasses.  The wind blows at a more constant speed above 850mb, and it is easier to track these airmasses… which is why we use the 850 chart for thermal advection!

Hang in there… the warmer weather is coming!
Jamie