The week of Christmas has arrived in a hurry! Slice up the fruit cake, hang some tinsel on the evergreen, “slam laptop shut until 2025,” and pay attention to the weather forecast as the mad dash to family, friends and loved ones is on the holiday to-do list.  

Cheeks will be nice and rosy Monday morning as temperatures have dipped to their lowest levels (single digits and low teens recorded) since last winter. Morning shoppers and travelers will find a clean sweep on the Santa tracker radar during the daylight hours. Skies will have splashes of blue in the morning, then become overcast by the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will be in the mid 30s with the return of a southerly wind. Welcomed warm air will be calling “yoo-hoo” at the tune of 5-10mph with some gusts to 20mph Monday afternoon.

 

The only part of the forecast to get your tinsel in a tangle will be after sunset Monday and before sunrise Christmas Eve. A “clipper” system begins its trek through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, past the sea of twirly-swirly gumdrops, and into the Valley by 10pm. Any wet snow that sticks will amount to a coating to an inch south of Rt. 422 and an inch or two north and east. All precipitation will changeover to liquid drizzle as warmer air surges in by daybreak Tuesday. Warmer marks on Christmas Eve with daytime temperatures challenging the chance of a white Christmas (1” of snow on the ground at dawn on Christmas Day) with plenty of clouds to congest the sky.

Fog may greet early risers Christmas morning, but the threat for any wet weather is mostly remote for December 25th. A stray shower cannot be completely ruled out late in the day, but nothing to write home about. Christmas Day will feature a textbook winter day with clouds and seasonable temperatures. Look for highs near 40-degrees which will be welcomed for those of you who receive a bike Christmas morning.

A noteworthy package of dry/brighter days will be with us as we close out the week. Unfortunately for our snow lovers, the weather’s taking a decidedly milder turn for the next couple weeks! High temperatures will be 10-15 degrees above average. The bitter cold air stays bottled up in Canada…for now.

We’re only 2 days from Christmas. Track the latest developments with the free Storm Tracker 21 app! Every song you hear seems to say “Merry Christmas.” May your New Years dreams come true. Track hourly conditions, check the live interactive radar, 7-day forecast, and more. And this post of mine, in three-quarter time, wishes you and yours the same thing, too. Plus, you can share your weather photos with us directly through the app! Still want more…follow along on social media.

Fa la la la la! Enjoy the magical season!

Here’s a look at your Monday morning 7-day forecast: