The cold airmass continued it's stranglehold over the area today, and has done so since the beginning of the week. This is thanks to a big upper level trough which is parked over the region. Plenty of sunshine today, more than previous days, helped the temperatures climb a few degrees higher in some locations, but the stiff northwest winds kept temperatures for the most part in the upper 20's across the area. Temperatures tonight will once again drop into the lower 20's in the urban areas, and teens inland with partly cloudy skies, clearing late, and winds calming by midnight. A low pressure area is forecast to pass to our south Thursday, potentially bringing with it light snow showers to our southern most areas. Our eyes remain peeled to the potential coastal storm system that could affect our area (most attention on coastal and eastern zones) this weekend with wintry precipitation. Featured image: Visible satellite from 8:15pm December 14th, 2010 showing the storm system to our west that will eventually pass to the south of our area Thursday. 

*Note: Stay tuned later tonight for a special feature article regarding the weekend storm potential.  

Tonight: Partly cloudy with some gradual clearing throughout the night. Low near 21 in the city, in the mid to upper teens inland. West winds 15-20 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy. High near 34. Storm system passes to our south with some widely scattered snow showers across our far southern counties. West winds 10-15 mph.

Article by John Homenuk. 8:38pm December 15th, 2010. Need more? See New York Metro Weather's Long Range Forecast for the end of the week into the weekend or view our Technical Forecast Discussion for the more serious weather enthusiasts. For up to the minute details on forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.