Amazing the difference a week makes. Back on Jan. 6, we endured a low of 7 degrees. That’s cold! So cold I saw a hitchhiker holding up a picture of his thumb. So cold my dog was wearing my cat to stay warm. So cold that I stuck my head in the freezer just to warm my ears up.
Fast forward only six days, and wow! We reached a high of 71 degrees on Jan. 12. That’s bikini weather in winter! Since the last snow event, skies have been clear, blue, and warm. Perfect weather, except for the occasional windy day, and it looks to stay that way through the weekend. (See forecast below)
The only weather event to speak of was a cold front on Sunday Jan. 12 that kicked up the dust. Dalhart recorded a peak gust of 44 mph at the airport, according to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. Once the front passed, winds blew steady between 20 and 30 mph.
What, exactly, is a cold front? The name “front” comes from the battlefield, as in “the front line.” It is the leading edge of a mass of cold air that is replacing a mass of warmer air. Thus, the high on Monday was about 15 degrees cooler than the high on Sunday, thanks to the cold front.
Cold fronts usually announce themselves with a band of clouds, a drop in temperature, and a change in wind speed and direction. If enough moisture is in the air, a cold front can help generate rain and snow during the winter. During springtime, a cold front can spark a long line of heavy to severe thunderstorms. Why?
Since cold air is denser and heavier than warm air, a cold front is like a bulldozer. It replaces warm, moist air by scooping it up and over itself, which can trigger rain, snow, or thunderstorms if conditions are right.
Knowing this helps meteorologists forecast the weather. By measuring temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and air pressure across the country, forecasters can pinpoint the location of cold fronts and discern the direction they are moving. If the air ahead of a front has all the right ingredients, forecasters know stormy weather is a possibility for that area.
As for the rest of this week, expect high temperatures to reach the mid 50s to near 60 through Sunday. Overnight lows will continue near 20. At the time of this writing, no rain or snow was in the forecast. Expect breezy conditions on Thursday.
For you bird enthusiasts, Mallard Ducks and American Wigeons are numerous at Lake Rita Blanca now that the surface of the lake has thawed out. Keep your eyes peeled, however, for other duck species, such as the Northern Pintail (which I last spotted before the cold weather set in). Snow Geese and Canadian Geese are everywhere. Eagles and various hawks continue to hang out in the trees.
The American Kestrel pictured was spotted last week just east of Dalhart along a farm road. A kestrel is a small falcon that is often seen hovering in mid-air like a hummingbird. They have striking blue and orange feathers. To report any weather (or bird) news, such as wind damage or snow and rain totals, email Aaron at thirtyguitars@yahoo.com. Please follow Aaron on Facebook at “Dalhart Cloud Chasing”, or on Google Plus, "Aaron Graves (Dalhart Cloud Chasing)".
Hi and low temps the past week:
Jan 6: 32, 7
Jan 7: 52, 18
Jan 8: 40, 21
Jan 9: 60, 16
Jan 10: 55, 30
Jan 11: 63, 21
Jan 12: 71, 40
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