.bmp)
.bmp)
NEW YORK-For the second straight year, Mother Nature is teasing New Yorkers with a pleasant surprise in January: springtime weather conditions.Just when it seemed like winter's bite kicked into gear with wind chills in single digits last week, some unexpected mild air is moving into the region and will make for a fantastic start to the work week. By Tuesday, temperatures should hit at least 60 degrees for much of the tri-state region."It's not quite June in January, but it's good enough for me," says CBS 2 HD Meteorologist John Elliott. "Our highs are reaching temperatures that are more common in the middle of April."According to CBS 2 Meteorologist Elise Finch, the temperatures are rising from a surge of warm air that's been able to push up the coast. "So what happened? Well just a few days ago things were frigid as the jet stream dipped way far to the south. Now it's way up north allowing a ton of mild air to rise and really just infiltrate the entire northeast," says Finch.And that mild air didn't waste time in making its cameo. Just after midnight on Monday morning, temperatures in Central Park were hovering around 49 degrees, which was the high temperature for Sunday.The normal high for this time of year is 38 degrees.Elliott says Monday's high should hit 57 degrees-a 37 degree increase from this past Thursday, when the high temperature was just 20 degrees. Tuesday will be even warmer, with a high of at least 60 degrees for the city."Over the past couple of days we've seen these temperatures here first in the 40s and now we'll watch them soar into the 50s, approaching 60 degrees on Tuesday," said Finch. "It is going to be exceptionally warm, reminding you of spring quite really."It should remind you of the first couple weeks in January 2007, too. A new record for Jan. 6 was set last year when the high reached 72 degrees in Central Park. Though tomorrow's high won't be quite as nice, it should actually mirror the high for last Jan. 7, when the high was also 54 degrees.Barren trees or not, Central Park should be a beacon of activity this week as New Yorkers will most certainly take advantage of this brief spring visit. The mild air will continue through Wednesday, and then cool back down into the mid-40s by Thursday. More seasonal temperatures will then likely return by the weekend.As in the days of Noah....
