Mostly Sunny, Cold

It's a very cold start to the morning as temperatures are sitting in the upper 20s. That indicates how impressive this modified arctic air mass is, especially given the fact that winds were never close to being calm and most of the area received 2-4" of rain in the last couple of days. The weather maps show that the upper air pattern over the region is dominated mostly by quasi-zonal flow, with a slight hint of west southwesterly flow. A very strong branch of the subtropical jet stream has merged with the polar jet across the Ohio Valley. A stream of high cirrus clouds is evident on infrared imagery extending from the Pacific through Texas and along the Gulf Coastal states. It's possible that a few of these clouds may pass through the area at times today. Otherwise, skies should be mostly sunny as high pressure builds into the region. With the modified arctic air mass in place, I think temperatures will struggle to reach the lower 40s today. In fact, I think highs will only top out near 41 this afternoon. It will not be as breezy today as it was yesterday, but winds could gust as high as 15 mph, particularly this morning. The forecast for tonight is somewhat tricky as cirrus clouds associated with the STJ will begin to stream into the area. This should put a cap on the radiational cooling to a degree, but it's still hard to underestimate the strength of this air mass. I'll go with a compromise and forecast a low of 27 tomorrow morning.