Published: April 17, 2008 11:03 am         

Weather watch

By MARK HANOK

During the past week we got another example of how a “reverse temperature anomaly” is a key indicator for brilliant sunshine every day and very dry air. The greater the temperature contrast between above normal temperatures to the north and below normal temperatures to the south, the drier the weather pattern in Otsego County.

When an April day seems more like the middle of winter in central Florida, while it seems more like the middle of summer in North Dakota, skies are Colorado blue in the Western Catskills and the Cooperstown area, without even a hint of a cloud anywhere in sight, and desert- dry air.

Thanks to a blocking weather pattern with a large ridge of high pressure anchored over the East Coast, we’ll be lucky to get even a trace of rain through at least the middle of next week, and every day will be sunny or partly sunny. Temperatures will be above normal each day.

On Friday, temperatures will soar to the mid-70’s with unlimited sunshine and very dry air, since a summer-like Bermuda High will block a frontal system from moving any further east than the western Great Lakes.

The high will continue in place on Saturday, so showers will not get any further east than the Ohio Valley, as bright sunshine and warm, dry air continue in out region, with highs in the lower 70s.

On Sunday, a cold front will fizzle out as it moves eastward through central New York; skies will be partly sunny with highs in the low 60s.

With a northwesterly breeze it will seem cool on Monday and Tuesday, but skies will be partly to mostly sunny, and highs in the low 60s will still be five to 10 degrees above normal.

An extremely dry and sunny weather pattern will continue for at least a next week in the Cooperstown area.

Mark Hanok is an Otegobased meteorologist. You can visit him on the World Wide Web at http://members. aol.com/weathergazette.