Someone really, really needs to get out more. From AccuWeather:
Ladies and gentlemen, would you look at this. The perfect setup for a big winter storm. It is not often that the atmosphere develops this look, so you can imagine all the excitement that has existed in the AccuWeather.com forecasting center today. What will happen is that two branches of the jet stream will merge late in the weekend, a signature of all great storms.
You really have to click through and see the picture. It’s priceless. Anyway, whoever this is continues:
This allows cold air from the north to come in direct contact with mild, moist air to the south, and the result is often explosive storm development… the storms are likely to merge over the Northeast forming one giant circulation.
Cold air merging with moist air from below resulting in an explosion. If only Wonkette did stories on the weather.
UPDATE: Turns out AccuWeather is based in State College, PA. Figures.
