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2010-12-30 17:14:29.000 – Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist

hazy valley

Finally, it’s not Sunday and we have Sun! Having spent my holiday in Ohio, I missed the whopper of a storm that hit my home state (NJ) and apparently, the entire New England coast. I may have obsessively watched The Weather Channel for hours on Sunday night and Monday morning. That storm system moved out and allowed for fairly favorable shift change weather. Oftentimes after a big storm, temperatures will plunge into chilling depths. This happens when high pressure advances from Canada, pulling cold, continental air down from the north.

High pressure is indeed building, however, this time it is from the southeast. Instead of shivering into three or more layers as the mercury dips below zero, we’ll be sweating and shedding layers. Temperatures are forecast to break the freezing mark tomorrow, and approach record setting highs in the lower forties by Saturday! We can practically ring in the new year with fancy pink umbrellas and Hawaiian shirts (however, I arrived unprepared; my Hawaiian shirt is sadly hanging in my closet).

One of the more interesting consequences of warming up (besides the diminishing snow pack – sorry guys, looks like it’s our shift again) is the VERY large chunks of ice we were unable to dislodge from various parts of the building will, undoubtedly, fall from the building. Hopefully they will do so in a loud, uproarious fashion. I want to hear the groaning ice separating from the building, and a satisfying thunk or crash when it hits the ground. Partially because its cool, but mostly because if you hear a groaning sound, chances are you’ll be able to move far enough away from the source of the noise before it falls to the ground at neck-breaking speed.

In the mean time, we’ll enjoy the beautiful weather!

Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist