There has been a lot of talk about how cold January 2025 was …

But the thing is it wasn’t a particularly cold January in Albany, though it was nation-wide and in many parts of state, as that map I posted yesterday shows. In addition, nationally it was a cold month, coldest January in 30 years. Yet, that ignores record heat globally, and how a warm Pacific and Atlantic Ocean created a bubble that allowed arctic air to push south, in many cases into the deep south. While not unheard of in the winter, and not the coldest air ever, it certainly put a good chill over the nation.

What I am watching as are many meteorologists is the steep temperature gradient setting up next week with North Dakota very cold and Texas very warm. Such a steep gradient between above and below the polar jet stream could really lead to some strong winds and violent weather. The polar jet stream being right overhead, is indeed why New York looks like it’s in the path of one snow storm after another and continued cold for the foreseeable future. But the warmth building in the south is a sign of an inevitable springtime coming, and it’s only going to gain strength and push the polar jet stream north in coming months, and we would have a significant warm up before you know it. Or maybe not, it all depends on where things ultimately land.