80-90 percent of the United States was experiencing above normal temperatures on both Christmas Day and the day after Christmas Day. The warmth is especially notable in Colorado where they are finishing an absolutely miserable snow month. Many ski areas haven't had any in weeks and the base of Aspen Mountain so a heavy Christmas Day rain shower with temperatures in the mid 40's. Stuff like that doesn't happen often anywhere in Colorado above 8,000 feet during winter. Vermont almost always has to endure some December rain, but only a minimal amount in 2025 and a very cold Friday 12/26 is helping to power the state to it's coldest last month of the year since 2000.
We've got one challenging weather situation early on Monday 12/29 and I have more details to provide on that in the subsequent paragraph. Until then, we've got a weekend with very wintry temperatures and lighter winds. NYC has a beautiful post Christmas Snow on Friday night. This storm is getting fueled by the intense temperature gradient created by the presence of arctic air over the northeast U.S. and the warmth trying to push east over the Ohio Valley. Mad River Glen will get a small taste of this snow early Saturday morning, about an inch in total and then those clouds will give way to a bit of later afternoon blue skies Saturday. The clearing will set the stage for a sub-zero Saturday night and then a comfortable Sunday with readings climbing into the 20's along with light winds. Sunday will feature several hours of sunshine along with excellent visibility. A real winner if you enjoy that sort of thing as I do.
The Monday situation is hardly enjoyable and I really thought we had earned a better outcome on this one. Perhaps later in the season, the arctic air would be capable of more pushback and we are reminded again that early season storms can really be unforgiving. This storm will provide some snowfall to the northern Rocky Mountain ski areas and then proceed to strengthen as it reaches southwest Michigan Sunday evening. By Monday morning it will be well into Quebec, pumping warm and moist air northward into interior New England. Sometimes, we can survive these kind out comes with a fresher supply of arctic cold. Front end snow can pile up and before a minimal period of mixing/rain and this was an possibility certainly alive a few days ago. Now, it appears any snow and mixed precipitation will quickly become freezing rain or rain and persist on and off for much of the day. Temperatures will stay close to the freezing mark and I think we steer clear of any strong winds and this limits the melting. Still, rain is rain and certainly an unfortunate part of another holiday season.
The wintry finish to the holiday period remains ! It begins with some light snow Monday night following the unfortunate round of wet weather I mentioned. That light snow is then expected to become heavier snow showers Tuesday. That setup on Tuesday appears better for snow in areas from Stowe northward to Jay, but the winds become decently aligned for a bit of action for us as well. The snow showers on Tuesday will be accompanied by temperatures in the teens and this should carry through New Year's Eve when less snow is expected. Arctic air is expected to make a more significant push into New England on New Year's Day and additional snow is expected to accompany this. Right now, there are no indications of a bigger storm that will materialize here though I continue to watch for it. We do know that New Year's Day and the 2nd of January will be chilly. This will carry through the weekend and there are hints of a storm in this period and then another in the first full week of 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment