Right Weather Pro

December 18th Update

Odds of a white Christmas are dwindling

Providence has received nearly six inches of snow this month, but the odds of a white Christmas are actually dwindling. The workweek looks quiet with a brief warm-up on Tuesday followed by another shot of chilly weather for Thursday and Friday. It will likely be dry from Monday afternoon through Friday afternoon. A storm system approaching late Friday will send the wind to the south and the temperature soaring as it brings rain on Saturday. The weather is uncertain for Christmas Eve and Day, but, right now, odds favor relatively mild conditions with a chance of rain on Christmas. However, it’s not a lock, and there is a chance for a white Christmas miracle.

Monday afternoon looks cloudy and damp, but the temperature should rise above freezing eliminating the threat of icing with any light precipitation. It will stay above freezing Monday night into Tuesday. Expect highs in the 40s to near 50 on Tuesday with some sunny breaks and a westerly breeze. It will turn cooler (seasonable) on Wednesday. Look for highs in the low 40s with an active breeze. Thursday should be colder than normal, even with sunshine. Highs will be in the low 30s, and lows will be in the teens.

A cold start on Friday gives way to a slightly milder afternoon/evening. Highs will reach the low 40s by late in the day. Showers are possible Friday night, and some rain is likely on Saturday. It will spike into the 50s with a southwesterly wind. The weather will not be great for last-minute shoppers.

A large area of very cold weather will be slowly moving across the United States from northwest to southeast late in the weekend through the middle of next week. The timing of that front is key for the weather in Southeastern New England on Christmas. Right now, it looks like we will still be on the mild side of the front. If there’s precipitation, it would likely be rain. At this point, there is a decent chance of some precipitation between Dec 24-26. If the front moves a bit faster than projected, that puts RI and SE MA either on the edge between snow/mix/rain or into the colder/snowier side of the front. That’s not the most likely scenario at this point, but it bears watching. In any event, the cold weather eventually arrives next week, and we are likely to see some wintry weather before 2018 arrives.

The pattern looks active in the last week of the month
The next 7 days are relatively warm in the East
Cold air arrives for the last week of the year
Right now, Christmas Eve looks relatively warm along the Eastern Seaboard, but cold air lurks to the west

Fred Campagna

President and Chief Meteorologist - Right Weather LLC AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist #756 AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist #126

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