It’s warmest before the chill
Though this month has been more seasonal, February 16 was the warmest day so far in 2006, topping out at 59.0°. It was still 56.6° at 22:00, but then cooled quickly to 50.8° at 23:00.
This after a weekend of slick roads when nearly an inch of snow fell in a three day period.
Yeah, I know it’s pitiful.
Anyway, at 23:00 the temperature accelerated its dive, dropping nearly 12 degrees in the next hour to 39.1° at midnight. Cold air continued to pour in on blustery conditions, bottoming out at 25.0° degrees at 08:20 when the sun finally overcame the cold air advection, at least for a little while. The temperature climbed back up to nearly 30° at 13:30 before heading back down.
The temperature plot (right) reminds me of a profile of El Capitan (left), in Yosemite National Park (though the bend point on El Capitan is a little higher than on the temperature "cliff").
Update at 11:00 on the 18th --- The temperature began sliding once again after 23:10 on the 17th (24.1°), winding up at 6.3° at 08:10 (making the 18th the coldest day so far in 2006). A breathtaking dive of 52.7 degrees in 42.5 hours; almost all of that occurring during two eight or nine hour periods (with a fifteen hour break).
awc 2006-02-18 00:21
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