'Coldest outbreak in years' in forecast

[Soldier4Christ]

'Coldest outbreak in years' in forecast
Natural gas futures rise with chilly prognostication

Natural gas futures rose Tuesday, with traders covering positions on forecasts of persisting cold winter in the U.S. Midwest, likely increasing demand for gas as heating fuel.
Front-month February natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled at $7.597 a million British thermal units, up 27.8 cents.

The last time the market closed higher was Dec. 14 at $7.673/MMBtu.

Weather forecasts released Thursday suggested that the cold weather expected to hit the U.S. Midwest between Jan. 28 and Feb. 1 will now persist longer than previously expected. One model run by meteorologists at MDA's EarthSat Weather Group in Rockville, Md., forecasts "the coldest outbreak in years" for large parts of the U.S. between Feb. 2-6.

The expectations were bringing strength to the gas market, which could test $8.00/MMBtu in coming days, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch & Associates in Galena, Ill.

"The market will remain bullish in the near term until there's some evidence that the stubborn cold will shift," he said. "Until we get that, the price will hold up pretty well."

Meanwhile, private forecasters WSI Corp in Andover, Mass., predicted that temperatures from February through April will be warmer than normal. However, WSI said it would revise its forecast by week's because of the expected low temperatures in early February.

As well as the weather concerns, strength in the physical gas market is supporting the front end of the gas futures curve, while some strength is also spilling over into gas from crude futures, said a Calgary-based trader. Front-month crude futures settled at $55.04 a barrel, rising on cold weather and violence in Nigeria, after dropping to a 20-month low of less than $50 a barrel last week.

"Weather is the key to the strength in the gas market, but crude is having a little bit of an effect too," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Extended Forecast: Good News, Bad News
No Significant Warming Trend In Near Future

DENVER -- Enjoy the January thaw because more cold air is on the way to Colorado.

The 24/7 Weather Center is tracking two weather features that will impact the weekend forecast. One is a weak cut-off area of low pressure over northern Mexico. It will pump moisture into the state as it slowly drifts east over the next few days.

The second and more substantial feature is a developing area of low pressure near Hudson Bay, Canada.

A Hudson Bay low during the winter months can translate to a prolonged period of below normal temperatures for much of the United States.

The counter-clockwise circulation around the low pressure will bring down waves of cold air from northern Canada, and sometimes from as far away as Siberia.

For locations in the eastern half of the nation, it means a good dose of winter. For Colorado, it is potentially a forecasting nightmare.

As the dense cold air spills south from Canada it spreads out across the nation -- that is until it reaches Colorado and encounters the foothills and mountains.

In this type of weather pattern, the shallow pool of cold air often banks up against the foothills, leaving Denver cloudy and cold while elevations just 3,000 feet higher can be virtually untouched.

Shallow cold air banked up against the higher terrain west of Denver usually means a cloudy, cold day for Denver and the plains with occasional flurries or light snow.

So the good news with this type of weather pattern is that although we can see snow, amounts are typically light -- sometimes as little as just a dusting.

The bad news is the Hudson Bay low could keep eastern Colorado temperatures below normal for several days if it doesn't move away.

Current Weekend Outlook

Colder and cloudier weather is in store this weekend for Denver and the eastern plains. A cold front is projected to move through sometime between Friday afternoon and late Saturday morning. It will drop temperatures from the 40s to the lower 30s for afternoon highs by Saturday.

Some data indicates that highs could drop into the 20s by early next week with lows close to zero.

The potential for snow is a tough call -- all depending on how much available moisture is in place once the front passes and upslope winds develop behind it. We ask that you stay tuned to 7NEWS and TheDenverChannel.com for the latest.

Two Week Outlook

The National Weather Service indicates the potential for below normal temperatures through early February. This will ultimately be decided by how long the Hudson Bay low pressure sits over southeast Canada.

What is means for Denver and the eastern plains is below normal temperatures with occasional reinforcements of the cold air. In past weather patterns like this scenario, shots of colder air arrived about every 3 days. With each new dose of colder air you can typically expect clouds and flurries or light snow.

We'll keep you posted on how this situation develops over the next 24 to 36 hours. The 7News 24/7 Weather Center is your source for the best local weather.

[Soldier4Christ]

Check It Out/'Farmer's Almanac' calls for more cold and snow -- good reading weather

With the latest blast of winter a few days behind us, I hesitate (but not too much, apparently) to mention the prediction for February, courtesy of the "Farmer's Almanac." Here it is:

"February2007

1st-3rd. Fairweather prevails. 4th-7th. Powerful storm pushes heavy snowacrossColorado, parts of Nebraska, Iowa, much of Kansas, Missouri, accumulations of a foot possible. 8th-11th. Drier, but also much colder. 12th-15th.

"Flurries Northern and Central Plains, points east. 16th-19th. Fair at first, then stormy conditions. 20th-23rd. Mostly fair weather. 24th-28th. Milder, then some snow for Northern and Central Rockies and Plains, then fair and colder.

"'While global warming has taken up much of our attention (as well as news coverage), our winter predictions are pointing towards widespread cold from coast to coast, especially for the western sections ofthe country,' shares Peter Geiger, Editor. Geiger continues, 'The cold may not be as frigid as 30 or 40 years ago, but we do expect this to be the coldest winter we've seen for quite a few years.' And, after last year's unusual warmth, this chill might make winter harder than usual.

"Snow, and lots of it, is also forecast for the nation's midsection, parts of New England, and the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. 'The Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley may be the only area spared the extreme cold,' reveals Sandi Duncan, Managing Editor, 'but this is not to say this area won't be without its cold spells and significant snowfalls.'"

[Shammu]

Now my question is, wheres the global warming group now??

[Soldier4Christ]

Warming their tushies on a radiator.

[Shammu]

Warming their tushies on a radiator.