New York Today: Weather Whiplash

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/nyregion/new-york-today-weather-whiplash.html

Version 0 of 1.

Good morning on this suddenly warm Thursday.

If today were average, you’d be waking with a cup of coffee (perhaps), a leisurely read through this column (we hope), and a high of 38 degrees in New York.

But has any day this month felt average?

The first eight days of January were bone-chillingly cold — the thermometer didn’t budge past freezing once. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that today’s high is a balmy 54 degrees. Tomorrow, it could be as warm as 60.

As the city seesaws between freeze and defrost, we wanted to know: What’s up with this wonky weather?

“It’s definitely a little bit of whiplash,” said John Homenuk a meteorologist at New York Metro Weather. “And it’s going to continue.”

We were locked into weeks of freezing weather earlier this month after circulation patterns in the arctic were dislodged, Mr. Homenuk said. “We had cold air moving into places where it doesn’t usually reside.”

“But that pattern is starting to break down,” Mr. Homenuk added. Today’s mild temperatures are thanks to warm air that moved in from the south.

But you can expect a blast of cold air again soon.

“The atmosphere is always trying to reach an equilibrium, and right now were seeing a battle between warm and cold,” said Faye Morrone, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

For the next few days, we’re looking at temperatures in the 50s. Rain will begin tomorrow, before the mercury plummets below freezing again on Sunday.

The National Weather Service and the governor’s office are warning about potential flooding today and through the weekend as snow melts and rain causes the rivers to rise.

“When you have this extra water content in snow and ice, and then warm things up, and then put heavy rain onto it, that leads to an enhanced threat of flooding,” Mr. Homenuk said.

That includes the streets of New York, if on a smaller scale.

“You can expect a lot more water on the New York City sidewalks than from a normal rain event,” Mr. Homenuk said.

Here’s what else is happening:

• A bodega owner in Brooklyn has been taking in the homeless for the past 14 years and giving them a warm place to stay in the store’s cellar. [New York Times]

• Jeffrey D. Klein, a New York State senator, has been accused of forcibly kissing a former staffer outside an Albany bar in 2015. [New York Times]

• Senator Kirsten Gillibrand plans to try and block the confirmation of Geoffrey S. Berman if he is nominated by the president to be the United States attorney in Manhattan. [New York Times]

• New York City is taking a harder stance against climate change, filing a lawsuit against five major oil companies and urging pension funds to divest from companies related to fossil fuels. [New York Times]

• Facing the threat of a lawsuit, a West Side condominium building is asking a Manhattan judge to ensure its right to remove the “Trump” name from its facade. [New York Times]

• A new investigative unit, led by Councilman Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, will be responsible for looking over the operations of city agencies. [New York Times]

• A 24-year-old man now appreciates clean living and a calm home after ridding himself of psychotropic medications and facing times of homelessness. [New York Times]

• During the last theater season, Broadway has seen an audience uptick of local New Yorkers. [New York Times]

• Dr. James Melius, an advocate for worker’s health and the medical care of first responders after the World Trade Center attacks, died at 69. [New York Times]

• The New Jersey governor-elect, Phil Murphy, called for the resignation of 100 senior staff members of New Jersey Transit. [NBC New York]

• Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin agreed to finalize their divorce out of court in an effort to spare their 6-year-old son embarrassment. [New York Daily News]

• Over 5,000 pieces of luggage are still stranded at Kennedy Airport, three days after a water-main break caused major disorder for travelers. [New York Post]

• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Rescuing Abby Cadabby”

• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.

• An evening of salsa, hosted by the Balmir Latin Dance Studio, at the Brooklyn Museum. 6 p.m. [Free]

• The work of more than 40 Japanese artists will be on display at “Japanism” at One Art Space in TriBeCa. 6 p.m. [Free]

• A conversation about modesty in fashion from different cultures at the Jewish Museum. 6:30 p.m. [Free, donation requested]

• The author Katy Tur discusses her book, “Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History,” at Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. 7:30 p.m. [Free]

• Alternate-side parking is suspended through Saturday for snow operations.

• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.

Jazz enthusiasts, tune in.

Winter Jazzfest, the star-studded music festival, is this week.

While slightly smaller than years past (which organizers attributed, in part, to the local musician’s union seeking higher pay for the artists this year), there are still plenty of talks, tributes and performances at venues across Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan.

On tap today: The singer Jose James performs the music of Bill Withers at Le Poisson Rouge at 7 p.m. ($30), and Gilles Peterson performs a DJ set at Nublu at 9 p.m. ($25).

The signature event of Jazzfest is the music marathon, in which 100 groups perform on different stages at locations across Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan. The two-night event begins on Friday at 5 p.m. and continues on Saturday.

And on Monday, writers, artists and musicians including Angela Davis, Esperanza Spalding, Ravi Coltrane and Vijay Iyer will perform a musical tribute to the pianist Geri Allen, who died last year.

The festival continues until Jan. 17. You can see the full lineup here.

New York Today is a morning roundup that is published weekdays at 6 a.m. If you don’t get it in your inbox already, you can sign up to receive it by email here.

For updates throughout the day, like us on Facebook.

What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com, or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday.

Follow the New York Today columnists, Alexandra Levine and Jonathan Wolfe, on Twitter.

You can find the latest New York Today at nytoday.com.