The first day of 2012 saw confused daffodils blooming in Morningside Park. If those flowers have any brains they'll soon enough regret popping out of the ground as the coldest air of the season is about to arrive. A cold front passed through the region this morning, bringing cooler, drier air and kicking up a fair breeze. Look for 20-25 mph winds, with gusts approaching 40 mph, throughout the day today. With any luck the high will reach the lower 40s under mostly sunny skies. That breeze will be great for lake effect snow upstate.
An Arctic front, perhaps presaged by a few flurries, will arrive tonight. Tuesday's high probably won't reach the freezing mark and the wind will make it feel much colder. The coldest air will coincidentally arrive at the coldest time of day Wednesday morning. That's also when the wind is expected to calm down. All those will conspire to let the temperature drop to the upper teens in the city and down to the single digits in the traditionally cooler areas around the region.
Cold air just can't seem to sustain itself this winter and that's going to be true this week. After another cold day on Wednesday the temperature will rebound to near normal on Thursday. Friday and the weekend are shaping up to have highs in the mid 40s to near 50 under a mix of sun and clouds.
