It was an interesting weekend for weather around here. Friday was cool and rainy, temps only got into the low 50's. Rain here in Albany cleared out by early Saturday morning as a warm front surged north of the region, which also caused temperatures to jump into the low 70's and it turned out to be a nice day. This kind of thing happening is not uncommon for April, we'll discuss that more later. Sunday was back to cool and damp, with lots of clouds for most of the day, and temps here in Albany never got above 50....what a contrast!
We are caught in the battleground this time of year. The cold air does not want to leave, and the warm air is building to our south trying to push in. Since Friday there has been a cold pool of air sitting above the Northeast. (see attached image) The sun is strong this time of year so as it rises it heats the ground quickly. This heat rises into the atmosphere and cools which causes clouds to form. The cold air wants to sink as it is heavier (more dense) than the warm air rising and you get a conveyor belt going. This causes clouds, and "instability" showers as any moisture that is around will be precipitated out. If you add an area of low pressure or a front, precipitation is enhanced as was the case early Saturday morning, and again on Sunday. The day starts sunny, but within a few hours of sunrise the clouds are already thickening up and the afternoon is not quite as nice.
This causes headaches when trying to forecast temperatures because any break in the clouds causes a quick warmup, but when the clouds roll in early and stay all day, the temperatures often do not follow the forecast. This was the situation on Saturday, and Sunday we had the complete opposite, cold and cloudy.
Anyway, this pattern is breaking and high pressure is building in for the rest of the week. By Tuesday temps will be in the mid-50's with lots of sunshine, and by Thursday and Friday 70's are in the forecast.
Brandon
