Observed Weather:
It is clear winter 2013/14 is well on track to verify as the coldest in 2 decades.
The final week of January will be even colder than its frigid start.
We have strong signals February will be at least moderately cold. February will also manifest a much stormier winter pattern coast to coast.
Melita Forecast:
This extreme cold winter scenario was the consistent long range forecast provided by Melita Weather Associates (MWA) since late summer 2013.
NWS Forecast:
In contrast all other known weather providers reiterated seasonal to warm winter forecasts well into November before changing to progressively colder outlooks.
Analysis:
One result of this colder than expected weather in the major population centers of the Eastern US has been the advance of commodities such as natural gas to levels unseen since 2010. While commodities forecasting is not our specialty, it is expected that continued cold weather will lead to a condition of lower natural gas volumes in storage as we move into the Summer cooling season. Clients of Melita Weather Associates have had this information months ahead of traders relying on traditional weather sources.
MWA atmospheric scientists have never missed a fundamental forecast regarding El Niño or La Niña development in 20 years of providing forecast services to the energy sector.
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April 29 - Long Range Summary
Warm air advancing east of the Appalachians late this past weekend is the start of progressive temperature rise near certain to briefly peak at the hottest levels yet this year by the end of this workweek including summer-level low 80s as far north as central New York State and New England (~15° above average). Portions of the interior mid Atlantic region to northern Pennsylvania and New Jersey may briefly reach 90° Monday, while the majority of the Midwest and South remain less intensely hot under clouds and intermittent rain extending ahead of a series of relatively cold Pacific disturbances translating through the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies at approximate 24-36 hour intervals (still generating snow in high elevations of the West). Sharp west-east temperature contrast will fuel several more days of rain with severe thunderstorms across portions of the Plains and Midwest, but all models agree the repetitive amplified large scale pattern will begin to subside late this workweek. Early stages of pattern de-amplification are certain to direct seasonably cool air into the Plains (3°-6° below average) Thursday-Friday, while greatest below average temperatures in the Northwest begin to moderate. Less intense cooling reaching the Midwest and East during 6-10 day and 11-15 day periods appear near seasonal temperatures at best, but will effectively ending sharp temperature contrast across the U.S. Extended range models will continue to struggle with difficult to resolve spring-like wet disturbances embedded within fast low amplitude flow. However, at this point it is unlikely isolated and variable areas of convective rain will significantly alter longterm drought conditions in place across the central U.S. which are increasingly important to temperatures as summer approaches. Expansive soil moisture deficits remain a seasonably warm-biased signal which combined with low amplitude flow favor greatest magnitude (moderate) above average temperature anomalies in the north central U.S. which the 30-day MWA ensemble maintains into the end of May.
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