Pattern developing will be EXTREME-- this time it's More Than Words

The long range forecast reads like this--

Cold, Colder and Coldest--

My winter outlook called for colder than normal December ( OK, kinda whiffed on the 5th coldest December)
COOLER in the first half of January leading into moderation. Someone Que the Price is Right lose music, because I'm going to be wrong. Very wrong.

We are about to have an arctic invasion, perhaps one not experienced in 25 years. (Jan 1985) The next two days COULD get to near normal before the bottom drops out.

Why? The perfect global set up to drive cold air over much of the United States. The first wave of cold air begins to filter in later this week with even a chance for a few flurries and snow showers. It will be cold, but not anything historic.

This map is valid for the 13th at 7PM--that's a cold look.(Temps reflected are at 5k feet) Would translate into highs in the 20's to maybe low 30's and lows as low as 10. 

Preceding this cold COULD be a possible snowstorm. Timing is huge to when the cold air works in VS the energy coming from the current California Storm- if the cold is a little to quick it shears out the energy and we get nothing. Also, some of the data has wanted to have a SMALL window where the low works up to our west . Hard to see that as a possible outcome, as the most likely way we miss this event would be sheared out and to our south. 

This model called the GGEM shows a possible solution to how we could get some snow. The next frame moves it out to sea, so its not a HUGE event, but would be a 2-4 inch type snowfall. After this event, we have a couple frigid days (Map reflected above) There could be a BRIEF warm up and then the "Motherload" of cold air is about to move into the US. 

That BIG L over Wisconsin is along the leading edge of BRUTAL cold air--and it would reach the East coast about 36 hours after that. This could be the coldest air mass in 25 years. (Thanks to something called the -EPO) Map valid 1/15/11 temps reflected again, at 5k feet. Note the -30 reading up in Canada. 

Snow threats--Maybe a few flurries or snow showers Friday, but the first threat is Monday/Tuesday Next week-- next, with an arctic blast like that I would guess we could get a quick coating and then we sit in the cold (Day 11). Maybe around the 20th as the pattern starts to relax something is on the table.