the temperature dropped to 9 degrees below freezing
However, warm and rainy weather in the middle of winter has its advantages: it reduces the chance of all kinds of injuries due to slippery sidewalks, hanging icicles, impassable and unclean roads, in addition, it washes away the accumulated salt from roads, sidewalks, yards and cars, which was poured liberally with sand in the cold and snowy period, heating costs decrease, etc.
The last day of the year is still too early to discuss this (last) year’s weather (data from various sources is still being refined), but we can already give a short description of this December. In terms of temperature, it was very heterogeneous: the first half was cold, the second half was mostly warm. For example, in Vilnius, without today’s data, the average monthly air temperature was -3.7 degrees, which is very close to the perennial value (minimum -14.4 degrees), in Šiauliai it was -3.3 degrees and -17.8 degrees, in Klaipėda – -0.9 degrees and -11.1 degrees.
The most interesting thing is that the coldest days in Žemaitija were in the first half, and in the eastern part and the coast – in the second. Another rare thing is a constant snow cover, which in some places lasted for more than a month and there were even 2-3 days with heavy blizzards (the last one was on the second day of Christmas).
The month was also heterogeneous in terms of atmospheric circulation: in the first half, block processes prevailed over Europe and the North Atlantic and frequent southern cyclones over Eastern Europe, in the second half – intense westerly air transport and active and deep Atlantic cyclones reaching Scandinavia and northern Russia.
By the way, the aforementioned southern cyclones greatly increased the amount of monthly precipitation, which, even without today’s precipitation, exceeded the monthly norm by 1.2-1.5 times. For example, 92 mm fell in Klaipėda, 47 mm in Šiauliai, and 32 mm in Vilnius. However, there were no very strong storms this month, which have become very characteristic of this season in recent decades.
On Saturday, a regular rain zone associated with a fast-moving atmospheric front moved across Lithuania from the west-southwest, so there was short-term rain and gusty wind throughout the country. Behind him moved a warm atmospheric front with its precipitation zone, behind which a very warm air mass formed over the subtropical waters of the North Atlantic briefly arrived in Lithuania, as well as the entire Baltic region.
Since the speed of the air flow in the middle troposphere above the trajectory of the air mass was relatively high (> 30 m/s), this air mass did not have time to cool down while moving over Central Europe and led to an increase in the air temperature to +7 – +13 degrees at night.
The air temperature on Sunday will not differ much, only during the day in some places (mainly in the southern regions) and the sun can be at night. However, a moderate south-westerly wind will blow, rain is most likely in the western and northern regions of Lithuania.
On Monday, a slightly weaker heat wave related to a rapidly developing cyclone moving from the southern part of the North Sea towards the eastern Baltic will reach Lithuania. Almost throughout the country, the air temperature will rise to +4 – +9 degrees during the day. On Tuesday, when this cyclone moves to the east, a portion of moist polar air will reach Lithuania from the northwest.
Air temperatures will drop, but will remain positive, and the rain will be replaced by drizzle in some places, the pressure will rise. Calm weather will prevail on Wednesday, the air temperature will be close to 0 degrees, except for the coast, and on Thursday night, a new Atlantic cyclone will move to the Baltic region with an area of intense precipitation.
It will start with drizzle, then change to rain and isolated showers, then the odd drizzle again on Thursday night. During the coming Friday, the air temperature will drop and for the coming weekend average cold and calm weather is forecast, the minimum air temperature will be -4 – -9 degrees, the snow cover will form again.
In North America, and especially in the east and southeast of the United States, a strong warming is expected after the Christmas extreme cold and blizzards. In the first days of January, the air temperature in the southeast of the USA will rise to +17 – +22 degrees during the day, in southern and central Florida – to +28 degrees.
It is true that this “heat” wave will die out by the middle of the week, but another warming is expected in the southeast of the United States next weekend due to the advection of air masses from the Gulf of Mexico.
According to long-term weather forecasts in 2023 month of January. the first half will be warmer than normal in the Baltic region and Central Europe, the second half will be about normal and cooler (depending on the region).