By MARK HANOK
When it’s warmer to the
north and cooler to the
south, it’s so easy to get into
an extremely dry weather
pattern in Otsego County.
The weather forecast in
last week’s weather column
was more optimistic than
other local weather forecasts,
but the weather was
actually much better than
even we predicted.
Once again, we got an
example of how a southerly
storm track can bring an
upside-down temperature
pattern that signals very
dry air and bright sunshine
in the Cooperstown area.
This kind of weather
pattern is actually more
common in March than
many local residents may
believe, and once we get
into a very dry weather pattern,
it’s difficult to get any
significant precipitation.
The last several days
has featured classic maple
sugaring weather in our
area, with cold nights and
very mild, sunny days.
This pattern will continue
all weekend and right
through at least the beginning
of next week.
No major storms are
anywhere in sight, and it
looks like March will turn
out to be the third straight
month with below normal
precipitation.
In fact, after a third of
normal precipitation in
February, we’ll be lucky to
get two-thirds of normal
precipitation in March.
Friday through Wednesday,
extremely dry conditions
will prevail, with
near-normal temperatures.
Cold nights and mild,
sunny days will continue to
favor maple sugaring in our
region.
On Friday as low pressure
moves northward to
eastern Canada, a colder
northerly flow will take
over, with unlimited sunshine,
azure-blue skies and
very dry air; highs in the
low 40s.
Crystal clear skies will
continue all weekend, with
brilliant sunshine Saturday,
Sunday and Monday,
as a large area of high pressure
builds eastward from
the Great Lakes to New
England; highs 42 to 47 degrees.
As a milder southwesterly
flow takes over, skies
will be partly sunny with
highs in the low 50s on
Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mark Hanok is an Otegobased
meteorologist.
Weather Watch
March 19, 2009
Weather Watch
- Weather Watch
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- Weather watch The Susquehanna River level will be unusually low for the General Clinton Canoe Regatta during Memorial Day weekend.
- Weather Watch It’s really uncanny how the very dry weather pattern has continued in this area despite the succession of major storms that have moved to the west and south.
- Weather Watch Now that north has become a synonym for sunshine and south has become a synonym for rain, there’s no way that this extremely dry weather pattern can change at least for the next four weeks.
- Weather Watch March was the third straight month with below normal precipitation, and it looks like April will also turn out to be drier than normal.
- Weather Watch Temperatures were near normal in March, with precipitation around an inch below normal.
- Weather Watch On Friday a major storm will move to the Ohio Valley, while high pressure builds southward from eastern Canada. Skies will be partly sunny with highs from 55 to 60 degrees.
- Weather Watch When it’s warmer to the north and cooler to the south, it’s so easy to get into an extremely dry weather pattern in Otsego County. The weather forecast in last week’s weather column was more optimistic than other local weather forecasts, but the weather was actually much better than even we predicted.
- Weather Watch The jet stream will shift southward this week and a series of low pressure systems will move well to our south.
- Weather Watch Exactly as we predicted at the beginning of the month, it was one of the driest Februaries on record in Otsego County and throughout most of central and eastern New York. Thanks to the extreme upside-down temperature pattern with much warmer weather in Montana than in Georgia, and strong winds on Monday and Tuesday, an extremely dry weather pattern will be the theme for at least the next two to three weeks.
- Weather Watch Exactly as we’ve been predicting for the past month, this is turning out to be an exceptionally dry February - one of the driest on record in central and eastern New York.
- More Weather Watch Headlines
