Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
However, Winter Months Expected to Be Colder than Average
This week got off to a balmy start, with temperatures in downtown Glasgow reaching to 54 degrees at about 12:45 p.m. Monday. Sunday saw a record high temperature of 58.
Valley County experienced a brief warm spell over the weekend, with temperatures expected to above normal through at least Thursday.
The warm weather is not normal, Mark Avery, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Glasgow, told The Courier Monday.
"Not even close."
The high for Nov. 29 is usually 34 with a low of 15, Avery said.
"We are 52 right now, so that is an 18" degree difference. "Last year it was 40 for a high and 12 for a low," Avery continued. "The high was six above normal, and the low was three below normal. It was cooler than it is now."
On Sunday, the high temperature broke the record.
"We could have been a lot warmer," Avery said. "The record is 58 now. The previous record was 57 set in 1899 and 2002. Right now there is a large ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere parked over the western US. It is allowing us to stay as warm as we are."
The winter was generally mild in 2021. That likely is not the case for winter 2022, Avery said.
"Looking at the climate prediction center's website, they have us with below normal temperatures for December, January and February. It is about a 40 to 50% chance of below normal temperatures. Even as mild as it was last year, we had February where we had two weeks where it was bitterly cold."
Valley County is also forecast to receive an average amount of precipitation, Avery said.
"We are at about equal chances of being above or below normal for precipitation. As you head further west, out to Phillips County, they are leaning at a 30 to 40% chance of being above normal for precipitation."
The current warm spell is expected to end Friday, Avery said.
"Thursday we will have a cold front that comes in, and we will go back to normal which is going to feel weird Friday, Saturday and into next week."
Wednesday is expected to be partly sunny, with a high near 58. It also is expected to be breezy, with a west wind 18 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.
Thursday is forecast to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 54 and west northwest wind from 8 to 13 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Friday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 35.
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