Scott Harbaugh: Extended Forecast

Each week I do an extended forecast that airs Sunday mornings on Channel 11 News Weekend.  It is basically a general outlook for a period beyond the 5-day forecast.  However, I decided for the true weather connoisseur I’d start going a little more in depth each week right here on our blog page.  So, here goes the first one . . .

OCTOBER 16-31

I think we can safely say goodbye to the 80s for 2008.  The weather over the weekend of the 10th through the 12th is going to be amazing, but once we get past the 15th it gets harder to get those kind of numbers.  The second half of the month will probably average at or slight below normal with a real cooldown after the 22nd.  Cold air is packed into the west right now and that should tilt and spill out into the east during the third week of October.  With the jet stream shifting south – the storm tracks will also shift south meaning a bit better chance for rain around here.  So, precip should be at or above normal across the region.  The best chance for above normal rainfall would be north of the I-80 corridor for this stretch.  Keep in mind, we only average 1.15″ of rain for the last half of October, so it won’t take much to put us above normal in the first place.  I’m not quite ready to say we’re definitely NOT going to see some snow this month, but as is par for the course, the best chance would be north of I-80 after the 25th.