During slower tracking periods I tend to read in the New England and Mid Atlantic forums for long range stuff. Figured I'd bring up one of the themes I keep seeing repeated by some of the knowledgeable guys in the MA forum to see if anyone has thoughts in here. It does feel slightly ironic bringing this up after one of our snowiest Decembers on record and a nice double digit snowfall we have all been craving.
The blocking regime that has evolved over January really has not resulted in much in the way of cold or snow which many have attributed to the putrid airmass that the block is currently holding in place. Basically a block does little good if there isn't already an established cold source nearby. Maybe I am not remembering correctly or mistaken because of lack of understanding but in the past I remember thicknesses that are well below 540 resulting in a colder reflection at the surface than what we are seeing this winter. Taking this past weekend as an example, I am surprised what evolved at the surface (mid 30's with snow in the air most of the time). I guess I'm curious if our cold fronts are going to continue to be moderated in the short term due to warmth in our cold source regions, or if this is something that is going to be a persistent issue moving forward?
Definitely not complaining with the winter we have had so far, just bored with a slow couple of tracking weeks and trying to better understand why the good pattern looks haven't lived up to the potential hype.