Don't blame global warming! It's just been one of those years!  In fact, January was the 4th warmest in U.S. history. 2006 was #1. But 1953 made the list at #3. So you can't always say that it's warmer now than it was years ago!

This year, the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) stayed positive for much of the winter, allowing warming trends to move in quickly after a cold shot. That really put the hex on our wintercast this year.

So while we did have brief periods of snow and cold, it has been followed by a quick warmup each time. The exception this year has been in Europe, where they are getting pounded with cold and snow. Hundreds have died over there this year. A very sad story.

Now the question looms for us... will it stay wet and chilly heading into spring? Initially, yes. In fact, we're really not out of the woods until early April as far as getting snow. I think once we get through April, May should start to warm up and dry out. I'll have a more detailed post about the spring outlook in the coming days.

In the near term, we'll be watching the evolution of a storm for Friday and Friday night. There are some early indications that we could see a change to snow in some areas Friday evening, with some accumulations possible into Saturday. Those of you itching to take the kids sledding or to hit the slopes may get your wish this weekend. At least in some areas. Stay tuned!