Warmer than usual for the next few days - next shot at rain to bring more seasonal temps?
Now that we're all quiet in the realm of severe weather across the viewing area, we can turn our focus to the foreseeable future, which in general looks to remain very slightly warmer than average, with a couple of modest shots at precipitation over the next week or two. In the meantime, high pressure overspreads the region, and as such, daytime skies are crystal blue for the next 3-4 days, with daytime highs consistently lingering in the mid-high 50s.
Our next appreciable chance of rain comes Wednesday night into Thursday morning, as a weak low pressure system traverses the region bringing along with it some modest precipitation associated with a cold front - there is no severe weather threat with a system like this, and totals on average will probably max out around 1", considering the speed of the system as a whole. By the time it is on it's way out, temperatures will have returned to a more seasonal average (think highs in the mid to high-40s, with night-time lows in the 30s) behind the front, as opposed to our current daily highs staying in the high 50s, with isolated spots tapping 60.
The far fringes of what can be forecast within reason suggest a pattern of impulses riding the atmosphere northeast, such as this one on Monday, January 11th - systems like this often gather strength over the gulf and track generally south and east of our coverage area. While models do not at the moment suggest any winter mischief, if temperature profiles are just right, storm tracks like these have historically proven that they are more than capable. Current models show temperatures across the coverage area staying in the 30s and 40s as the system approaches closest to the Valley, with only the highest elevations of the region having any appreciable chance of perhaps a flurry or two - this will leave us overcast, cold, and wet, as is often the case this time of year, with rain totals likely not exceeding 1"-2" for most of the area.