Based on this picture I shot yesterday, it doesn't look winter could be in the forecast, but this morning before the clouds rolled in there was a hint of red in the sky. Now we have a cold rain with temperatures in the mid-thirties here in Cape Carteret.

In Kinston, at a little after nine am this morning, there are reports of 1.5 inches of snow. Fortunately it all goes as planned, temperatures will warm up for a couple of days and then we might be seeing the coldest weather of the season early next week.

One forecast is calling for the high temperature next Tuesday to be 37 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a pretty cold high. Actually we are getting off pretty light considering the Accuweather people are saying that the cold air surge this weekend and early next week will be the coldest for this time of year in nearly thirty years. Next Monday and Tuesday the high temperatures in Chicago will be 4 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit respectively.

If you head almost 1,100 miles north from Cape Carteret to Quebec City, Quebec, you will find a high temperature of 1 degree Fahrenheit on next Tuesday, February 6. I guess it would be a good time for a winter carnival which is exactly which is happening in Quebec from January 26 to February 11. It's time for the Carnaval de Québec. According to the website, it is the largest winter carnival in the world. I'm glad someone has figured out what to do with the cold weather.

It is interesting to have a look at the impact of next weeks cold air attack.

Below is a table of high temperatures that I put together for a friend who lives in Forked River, NJ. Forked River is about 500 miles, mostly north and a little east of us. They are actually close to the coast similar to our area.

This cold air scheduled for early next week will certainly impact all of us, but I think we will be spared the worst of it. If you go a little more inland and not so far north, you can still see the impact of the arctic air. Reston, Virginia which is between the Dulles Airport and Tyson's Corner nearly 370 miles north of Cape Carteret, will see low temperatures early next week in the single digits.

Tuesday night of next week our low temperature is forecast to be twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Even we have to pay the price for living on the edge of what can be a very cold continent. Still we should see high temperatures in the mid-forties except for that cold snap which will last from Monday through Wednesday and keep highs in the low forties on all days but Monday when we won't break out of the thirties.

I guess it is time to throw another log on the fire and be thankful that we don't have to suffer through the ice and snow that is hitting the areas to the west of us.