December is running about 6° warmer than normal in the Providence area through the first ten days of the month. The first two days of the month featured showers, but it has been mainly dry since then. The weekend looks quite mild, with a slight chance of showers on Sunday as a warm front hovers nearby. If the warm front lifts north on Sunday, the temperature will reach the low to mid 60s. That’s an iffy proposition now. The sun angle is very low, and the days are short in mid-December. I’m not sure that the low overcast will burn off on Sunday. It’s the difference between being 6-12° warmer than normal and 15-20° warmer than normal.
Rain is likely Monday evening as a storm that we’ve eyed all week finally arrives. The weather behind that storm will still be very mild in the middle of next week. More showers are possible Thursday as a system from the Southeast rides along an approaching front. There is also a possible second system on this front that brings chilly rain early next weekend. It will be briefly colder next weekend, but that will likely not last for long, and it’s not looking good at all for a white Christmas in Southern New England. If there’s a storm around Christmas, it’s likely rain instead of snow as the storm track will probably be still not favorable for wintry precipitation. If you’re thinking that we are close to a record for latest measurable snowfall, you’re wrong (unless you live in Worcester). There have been years where the first 0.1″ of snow was not recorded in Providence until well into January. The snow “drought” this season is definitely more pronounced in the interior Northeast compared to Southeastern New England.
A big-time snow "drought" in the Northeast, too. Mountains running at least 10" below normal snowfall to date. pic.twitter.com/NouPizxMBj
— Fred Campagna (@FredCampagna) December 11, 2015
