Nyack's Weekend Weather: An Arctic Blast Deflected, a Chance to See Meteor Showers

NYACK, NY — It won't be as cold this weekend as forecasters predicted earlier, and we will have clear skies in which to look for the North Taurids meteor showers.

"Winds will begin to howl out of the northwest, and that will be what helps usher in the colder air," said Bill Potter of Hudson Valley Weather. "Earlier in the week, it appeared that the core of this cold blast would settle in over the Hudson Valley. It now appears that while very cold… the worst of the arctic blast misses our region. That means instead of highs pinned in the 30s on Saturday… we’ll see mid 40s for most of the area. It’s still a winter preview… but not as harsh as expected earlier this week."

The North Taurids meteor showers peak Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12, though they may be outshone by the waxing gibbous moon.

The twin Taurids meteor showers — the South Taurids and the North Taurids — continue through Dec. 2. Both are long-lasting but sleepy, only offering about seven meteors an hour, but they are known for having the highest percentage of fireballs. The best chance to see one is around midnight. They’re slow-moving, but very bright, according to Earthsky.org.

Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Rockland County:

Today
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph...increasing to northwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Tonight
Clear. Cooler with lows in the upper 20s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph...diminishing to 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph after midnight.

Saturday
Sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 30s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday
Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 30s.

Photo: The 2009 Leonid meteor shower produced this fireball (photo by Ed Sweeney via Flickr Commons)