Arctic Air, Red Flag Warning

Let today's freezing temperatures and gusty winds set your expectations for the coming week: A Nor'easter may be headed our way.

For today, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the lower Hudson Valley, forecasting winds from the northwest 20-35 mph with gusts around 45 mph and warning of the possibility of downed tree limbs and isolated power outages.

The NWS has also issued a Red Flag Warning for Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties today through 6 p.m. Conditions are ripe for rapidly spreading wildfires, what with strong winds, low humidity and lots of available dry fuel. 

Hudson Valley Weather, which has been warning about a possibleThanksgiving Nor'easter, said this on its Facebook page this morning: 

"…there is now very little doubt that a major storm system will impact the region Wed into Thur AM."

The National Weather Service is being more cautious, but even the NWS calls it "highly likely."

If the temperatures are warmer by then, Hudson Valley Weather said, we could see 1-3 inches of windswept rain ending as snow. If lower—more snow.  

As HVW mused, even if the winds behind this week's storm don't ground the balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, "it will certainly be one of the colder parades on record. Just thinking out loud."