Boring, Boring, Boring!

I'm guessing 9 out of 10 of you (if there ARE 10 of you reading Rippeology) will be elated with the paragraphs that follow.  The other 10% are probably serious weather geeks like myself.

When I started this blog, I had visions of frequent snowstorms, complex weather patterns to challenge me, polar vortices, canceled school days, watches and warnings.  Stuff I could really sink my meteorological teeth into.

Sure, November was the 12th coldest on record in Madison.  And yes, there were a few threats of snow that turned out to be false alarms.  But if you were reading, you would have known they were false alarms.

December is setting up to be the boringest weather month ever -- little temperature fluctuation, mostly mild, and little precipitation.  ZERO. FUN. AT. ALL.

Here's why...

Wisconsin is currently nestled between two winter jet streams.  The jet to the north is keeping all of the cold air well up into Canada.  The jet to the south is keeping all the moisture from reaching the Midwest.  And both are far enough away from us to take winter storms in a different direction.

Here's a great example of what that pattern looks like in the upper atmosphere.  This forecast jet stream is for this Saturday.  Because we're stuck between these two jets, our winds will come predominantly from the west for the foreseeable future -- sometimes switching to the northwest (but without major cold outbreaks), and sometimes switching to the southwest (but without any moisture to speak of).

How long will it last?  Right now, I'd say 2-3 weeks.  Our average high temperature ranges 29-35 during that period, and westerly winds will allow temperatures to surpass those averages for the most part. 

So for the next 14 days (at a minimum), expect above average temps and below average precipitation.  Like I said, boring.

But if anything should change, you'll hear it here first.

Oh, and for those of you who were kind enough to try adding my name to this Weatherist poll, I am humbled by your confidence.  In case you're curious, Doogs got my vote.