Adverse overall pattern remains a problem but some good news has emerged in spite of it all

There are no signs that the weather pattern will provide us with any love on the whole but some positive developments have emerged nonetheless, at least relative to what was thrown out in the last update. We still have some milder temperatures to work through over the next few days and this includes just a bit of freezing rain and rain Thursday night into early Friday. Most of the actual ski day Friday will be precipitation-free with temperatures in the upper 30's or low 40's. Visibility should improve a bit for Saturday but temperatures will remain balmy for Vermont, reaching at least 35 most places and upper 20's across the high summits.

Our big weather system remains on-target for late Sunday into early next week. The ski-day on Sunday actually looks rain-free and may even feature some morning sunshine. Temperatures will remain on the mild side of average (30's mostly) and minimal wind should make for a comfortable day on the hill. Snow will be falling with this system Sunday but mostly over central and northern Minnesota. The news is not all bad with this weather system however. Though precipitation will arrive as rain on Sunday evening, the initial snow-producing low pressure system over Minnesota & Wisconsin will begin to dissipate and so will the northward push of mild air up the eastern seaboard. Actually, it will be the colder, drier air that will battle back Sunday night and re-configure our temperature cross section in a more favorable direction by the early to middle part of Monday. Precipitation is likely to then change back to snow and the question relates to how much available lingering moisture will fall as snow from midday Monday into New Years Eve. Quite possibly we could receive several inches across the high country before the clock strikes 2020 but the jury remains out regarding very specific amounts.

Though this aforementioned storm appears colder for us, it remains devoid of series arctic chill both as the event is ongoing and in its wake on the first two days of the year. Snow showers and flurries will linger into New Years Day but only with temperatures within a few degrees of freezing during the day and 20's during the night. The summits should be cold enough throughout for any accumulating snow to be powder. The lack of cold air will present another challenge when the next storm impacts the region very late next week. It will require a very optimal track for a snowy result across Vermont and there are growing indications that the result might be something other than snowy. A lot can happen and change in over a week so stay tuned on that.

As mentioned, I can't speak fondly about the overall pattern. It remains unblocked at high latitudes and ripe for an easy surrender to an intense Pacific Jet stream. As mentioned in the last update, some of the most intense cold across northern hemisphere will at least remain over Alaska and both northern and western Canada. Close enough at least to remain a peripheral player for the first half of January even though it will hardly dominate. Ensembles are showing stronger indications of a decent cold surge beginning around January 5th with below normal temperatures prevailing through the middle part of that first full week of January. Any storm in that time frame would be snow I should think but this is way too far out for such things like promises or details.