Northwest Iowa — It appears as if our unseasonably warm temperatures of the past few weeks may be a thing of the past.
Alex Trellinger is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls and he tells us what’s causing these suddenly cooler temperatures.
(As above) “Yeah, we’re getting a little shift in our pattern we had the past couple of weeks, really. Up here in Sioux Falls we’re up to around thirty-one days of having no precipitation, but now we’re getting a low pressure system coming off to our south and then behind that, a high pressure system bringing some cold air with it, as well.”
He says the cooler temperatures are being accompanied by some strong winds, as well.
(As above) “Yes, that is correct. Stronger winds today, especially gusts up to thirty miles-per-hour are possible.”
We’ve enjoyed the recent warm weather, but now temperatures are becoming more seasonal.
(As above) “We’ve had it pretty nice so far, with very much above average temperatures and below normal precipitation values here. But looking at the current models, (we’re) not looking at any big trends toward any big snow maker, or even rain maker in the near term forecast.”
The chances for a white Christmas have been a big topic of conversation lately, so we asked Trellinger to peer into his crystal ball and tell us whether or not we would have a white Christmas.
(As above) “Some data from the National Center for Environmental Information posted a graphic which shows roughly our region sitting around the 50 to 60-percent chance of having a White Christmas. That’s looking at, climatologically, how often we’ve had at least an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas day.”
He says for a more accurate prediction we should check back in about ten days.
