WEATHER BLOG: Christmas Eve
Temperatures today will be mostly in the lower or middle 40s, and these will be dropping into the 30s tonight... And, with precipitation expected to spread out across the area between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. (generally from southwest to northeast) -- there'll be some rain developing.... Obviously, this precipitation will be occurring in an environment where most temperatures will be in a somewhat marginal category for sleet or snow, with most between 36 and 40 degrees at the onset... Therefore, we DO ALLOW FOR SOME SNOW & SLEET AT THE VERY BEGINNING... Quantitative precipitation amounts are expected to be held to less than a quarter of an inch across the Greater Baltimore Area...
For the balance of the Christmas holiday, there should be some sunshine returning, and temperatures should be mostly in the lower 40s in the afternoon... We should get a break from this 'rather active' pattern for nearly a day, but then there's going to be an even larger storm, which will be developing along the Gulf Coast late tonight and tomorrow, that will be emerging in the Eastern Region during midweek... This looks like it will bring a more widespread and longer-lasting round of precipitation, starting on Wednesday and lasting well into the nighttime hours...
The consensus on the eventual track has this more intense low pressure system moving almost parallel to the coast on Wednesday night and early Thursday... Therefore, while this next round of precipitation will probably start as another "wintry mix", there'll be some warmer air aloft pushing in from the Atlantic later in the day Wednesday and Wednesday night that will ultimately change all forms of precipitation in the big cities and along the coast to plain rain again... But, of course, we are going to be confronted with an even deeper storm system -- and that means there may be some even larger snow and ice accumulations that will take place farther inland... Actual amounts aren't 'etched in stone' just yet, but the potential exists for at least a couple of inches in the Hudson Valley, as well as in the Poconos and Catskills... Late this week, the pattern should begin to settle down a bit, but it will be seasonably cold with most temperatures no higher than the 30s or the lower 40s... Have a great Christmas holiday!!!
