Yesterday's rain was the leading edge of a cold front that has pushed on to the southeast. High pressure behind the front has brought cold temperatures across the entire country; only South Florida and the extreme Southwest will be spared this first major cold wave of the season.
On my predawn walk to work this morning, a crescent moon hung in the eastern sky, Sirius sparkled to the south and Orion, our winter companion, loomed to the southwest; the temperature was 36 degrees F. Lows in the forties are as far south as Mississippi and, as this air mass is reinforced by a second cold front, lake-effect snows will develop along the Great Lakes.
Winter has won this round but the battle with summer continues and warmer air is expected by later in the week. But the tide has clearly turned and the slide toward winter will gain momentum. Just ask the juncos and white-throated sparrows that now feed in our thickets and woodlots; they've arrived from Canada to enjoy our Midwestern winter and will stick around until April.
