Arctic air watch & look to the sky later this week

Meteorological winter is officially here and although we aren't seeing much cold air right now, that may be changing in about a week. We have just one storm system to watch and it will be a dud when it comes through here on Thursday. Here's what we can expect with it:

• Clouds - yes
• Cooler temperatures  - yes
• Light breeze - yes
• Rain - VERY unlikely
• Ice/Snow - definitely no

Here is where the system is now:

This system is moving into California now and will be pretty impressive through Wednesday. As it moves east, it will likely weaken and so much of the rain/snow will be lost as it approaches Kansas. So nobody in the central Plains will get much out of the system. There will be some nice snows around the ski resorts in Colorado. Any rain amounts in Kansas or Oklahoma will likely be under .10"

Arctic Air Watch:

Next week could turn MUCH colder for a few days. We are seeing signs of a strong front coming through at the beginning of the week and temperatures dropping. How far south the coldest air will make it is something to be monitored through the remainder of the week, but signs are pointing to a colder stretch of weather. This is NOT a setup that will bring heavy amounts of moisture, so I'm not expecting a bunch of snow next week when it does turn cold. We could be seeing a few days with highs in the 30s (even without snow on the ground)

A trifecta of planets this week:

If you get a moment after sunset this week, look for three planets in the southwest sky. They are Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter (in that particular order from higher in the sky to closer to horizon). Best time to look is about 45 minutes after the sun goes down, so right around 6 p.m. in the evening.