Rock Hill area could feel big cool down later next week

Welcome to winter, meteorologically speaking.

December 1 marks the start of winter in the world of meteorology, and forecasters say the Rock Hill area and the rest of the Carolinas will get a solid dose of winter in about a week.

Meteorologists use whole months to define seasons, so winter runs from the start of December until the end of February, rather than the traditional Dec. 21 beginning of the season.

Forecasters say it won’t feel a lot like winter for the next several days. But computer guidance is coming into good agreement that the floodgates will open next week, allowing arctic air to spill into the central United States and then sweep eastward as the week goes on.

“Unlike November’s cold snaps, which lasted a day or two in the Central states, this impending cold spell is expected to last a while,” said Renee Duff, an AccuWeather meteorologist.

Computer models are showing an outbreak of cold air that would limit afternoon high temperatures in the Rock Hill area to the 30s by Dec. 15. Meteorologists stress that long-range forecasts are less-accurate than shorter-range predictions, but they say they are reasonably confident that a colder pattern will develop in the eastern half of the country.

In the meantime, mild weather is forecast for the region. High temperatures are expected to climb into the 60s through Tuesday – except for Saturday, when an onshore flow off the Atlantic is predicted to bring plenty of clouds and afternoon readings in the 50s to the Rock Hill area.

The first in a series of cold fronts is expected to arrive Tuesday night, and afternoon highs in the upper 40s are predicted by Thursday. After that, forecasters say, temperatures are likely to descend.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Rock Hill area could feel big cool down later next week."