Harsh cold in the Northeast this weekend will finally ease next week

Video forecast;

1. The storm that exploded off the East Coast resembled a hurricane in some ways. This picture from yesterday morning makes it look like there was an eye.

2. This map shows the pressure pattern early this morning:

Where the isobars are closest together we expect to see the strongest winds. Those winds are really making it feel extremely cold. An explanation of this is quite simple:

We are certainly in winter's kingdom. We are in a time when cold and wind are constant companions; times when barren tree limbs snap brittlely in the unforgiving blusters of winter's dim domain... the cold night ahead of us as the melancholy moon stands silent sentinel over the frozen ground. Icy needles of wind are marauding through the Midwest, whistling through Wisconsin, irritating Illinois, icing Iowa and mesmerizing Minnesota. The harsh cold overtook Ohio, penetrated Pennsylvania, nipped New Jersey and cooled Connecticut while rushing to rule Rhode Island, march through Massachusetts, dash through Delaware and torque through New York (not to mention vaulting into Vermont, turning temperatures negative in New Hampshire and minusing Maine).

As we feel the chill driving us to January's gelid jailhouse, our thoughts might wander to spring. One day, some day, the sun will coax us back toward milder times. One day, some day, the cautious crocus and daring daffodil will show their bright flowers to the first tender warm breezes. But those times will seem all too remote and inaccessible the next few days, a time for the mittens and scarves, parkas and hoods, a wintry wakeup inside the ice-covered walls of the depths of winter.

We were late to reach the great gulf of winter, but its uncharted waters of cold waves have loomed large ever since, the ice water is plenty deep. We are trapped in the the chilly chamber of the classic bitter cold ice-bound days of winter, when face-freezing winds run rampant across the winterscape. The sun will seem to try harder as we move forward... the solstice behind us. But though it may try to illuminate winter's exit signs all traces of those signs are hidden by blowing snow as painfully cold winds grab our attention with the first step out the door.

This map shows the cold wave in full swing. A storm in eastern Maine is forcing bitter winds from eastern Canada straight across the mountains to blast the I-95 corridor. Snow showers are common; warmth totally absent.

In short, then a shot of very cold air is blasting us on the strength of face-freezing, collar-clutching, nose-nipping, toe-tingling, thumb-numbing, ice-box bitter, bird-blocking blusters. The icy jaws of winter have opened wide this morning they bring us face freezing winds from the icy dungeon of jailer January. This air has crossed the arctic tundra, where venturing out without proper protection is a sure invitation to frozen doom. It's not just the glacial frigid gelidity that contributes to the feeling of hyperborean chill, but also the adiathermic biting and piercing hiemal keen and nipping winterbound niveous isocheimal and polar unwarmed infrigidation that's numbed our thumbs and frozen our toes. yes, we face these bitter ice cold winds. the needles of winter's icy fingers and the piercing refrigerated ice box blasts of marrow chilling, teeth chattering, glaciated bitter blusters of Canadian cold? All through this frigid weekend the cold will pierce and pummel. For today, there's no bypassing of the bitterness, no solace from the sun.

But, take hope. There are signs of at least a temporary pattern change next week. The AccuWeather Real Feel Temperature from Illinois to New York could run more than 35 degrees higher at some point next week than will be the case through tomorrow.

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