MACON, Ga. — Our local weather on any given day is always a part of a much larger overall weather pattern. As we get into fall and wintertime, meteorologists are looking for patterns that may make the day-to-day weather warmer or colder. One way to predict whether overall colder temperatures or warmer temperatures are ahead is by examining the Arctic Oscillation Index.
The Arctic Oscillation is all about the jet stream. The jet stream's wind speeds can change over time. A stronger polar jet stream usually does two things. It is less wavy, leading to less variability in the weather for much of the United States. It also keeps cold, arctic air bottled up closer to the poles, and keeps the United States warmer
The Arctic Oscillation Index is a number used to describe the strength of the polar jet stream. There are two phases of the A.O. Index: Positive and Negative. A positive phase corresponds to a stronger jet stream. A negative phase corresponds to a weaker jet stream.
As of today, the Arctic Oscillation Index is in a negative phase, and is forecast to stay negative for the next couple of weeks.
For Central Georgia, this likely means more blasts of cold air over in the near future. Remember, the negative Arctic Oscillation indicates the jet stream is weaker. This means we can expect the jet stream to more easily allow arctic air to move south. This will result in below average temperatures over the next 6-10 days, and likely beyond. We may also see our first 20s of the year late next week.
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