Welcome to the second quarter of the 21st century!

It doesn't seem possible that we've entered the second quarter of the 21st century. (Some would disagree, but I consider the first quarter to have been 2000-2024). The month of January 2025 looks to be significantly colder than recent winters, with this graphic providing an indication of what lies ahead:

Focusing on the immediate future, today - New Year's Day - Mecklenburg county will see afternoon highs in the low to mid-50s, accompanied by sunshine and gusty west winds. That will be the warmest daily maximum for some time as wave after wave of cold air rolls into the air behind multiple cold fronts. 

Mecklenburg's average highs for January hang around the 50 degree mark throughout the entire month. On Thursday and Friday local thermometers will top out in the mid-40s, with the weekend ushering in afternoon highs only in the upper 30s. That chill will hang around for quite some time. The question on many lips is whether this will result in any wintry precipitation.

Snow potential, of course, depends on a moisture source to go along with the cold air. There are hints that one such setup could arrive early next week, which is why the National Weather Service has a chance of rain and snow listed on Monday. Despite what a number of social media "experts" may claim that's too far ahead of time to state definitively that the white stuff will occur or how much might accumulate. 

My suggestions? (1) Pay attention to forecasts over the next 3-4 days as the details are firmed up for Monday, and (2) drag out that cold weather gear. It looks like the first month of 2025 is gonna be a cold one.