monsoonmartin

Slippery travel is most dangerous when motorists are unaware of the potential for problems.  Such was the case this morning when precipitation began earlier than forecast--when surfaces temperatures were still at or below freezing--and turned roads and driveways (and especially bridges and overpasses) into a tractionless hellscape of icy white knuckles.  Many people slowed down, put on the hazards, and left plenty of stopping distance--but in a lot of cases, none of it mattered.  Scores of roads in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland were host to hundreds of crashes, some fatal.

Lesson: if you have to go out in poor travel conditions, take it easy.  If you have four-wheel drive, remember that many others do not.  Don't be an asshole, generally.  And if you can stay home, do it.

So what delights await us for the remainder of January and the first few days of February?

Here.

Monday 1/19 will be partly sunny and quite windy.  Temperatures will get in to the upper 30s, but wind chills will be in the low to mid 20s.  Overnight, we'll get down to 24 (with wind chills in the teens).

Tuesday 1/20 looks mostly cloudy and seasonably cold (highs in the mid 30s) but much less windy.  So it'll actually feel milder.

Wednesday 1/21 brings more thick clouds and a chance for snow.  It's a fast-moving clipper system that will give us just an inch or two, but the timing--overnight and into Wednesday morning's commute--could be problematic.  (Updates to follow, including closing/delay percentages.)

Sunny and clear on Thursday 1/22 with seasonable highs in the mid 30s; overnight lows will be in the low 20s.

Partly sunny and a wee bit colder on Friday 1/23.

The weekend looks nice.  Partly cloudy and seasonable with highs in the mid 30s and lows in the low 20s.

The last week of January looks cold (highs in the 20s generally) with snow possible in the 29th-30th time frame.

Maybe a snow/ice event on February 2nd-3rd, too.  The first ten days of February, in fact, seem potentially very active.

And just looking ahead, Kim Kardashian's giant ass will cause a complete solar eclipse on February 12th.

Stay tuned for updates!

Monsoon