Weather It Is (What's Ahead?)

Good Afternoon:

In a season of frequent rains and storms, last night's storm was a storm to remember.  If not the wind (Severe Gale), then the rain (flooding), if not the rain then the thunder and hail, and if not the rain and hail, then it was the brightness of the snow as lightning lit up the sky (in thunder snow).  For those who are wondering, there was a light covering in Jerusalem to anywhere from 8 to 15+ cm in Gush Etzion.

It was a week of nail-biting temperatures, as the models first indicated that the coldest air of the decade would freeze our toes off, but in the end we were left with the question: would it snow? Both Jerusalemites and Gush-Etzion-ites can answer: yes it did.

Almost as if to say: "I'm worn out," the temperatures will climb wearily from the low single digits to the middle single digits over a week's of time.  There will be -- actually -- an absence of weather, and your weather man (or women) can take a well needed break.

The weather may not really be tired, but the polar vortex is splitting, which cause ripple effects in our winter wave pattern that has brought all these storms (and a rainy winter, so far).

Looking at the long range forecast, there is the potential for a return to colder weather, but perhaps not until the week after next.  This will seem like a long time for those who have gotten used to winter like winters past.

Barry Lynn
P.S. I've uploaded some pictures before (with dust in the clouds) and during the storm.  Here's a link to our snow (nighttime) video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yXY2wt54Lc