December 17 – Cold then warm, wet, windy

A northwest wind ushers in very cold and dry weather for Tuesday. Look for temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s with wind chills in the teens thanks to the 15-35 mph wind. It will be a mostly sunny day, but that won’t help it warm up too much. The low temperature dips to the teens to low 20s by dawn on Wednesday. The wind should relax some Tuesday night. 

After a very cold start, the temperature bounces back to near 40° Wednesday afternoon with a decent dose of sunshine. Thursday looks decent with increasing clouds and highs in the mid to upper 40s. 

Potential for 1-3″ of rain in Southern New England on Friday

A big rainstorm moves out of the Southeastern United States and up the Appalachians Thursday night into Friday morning. Expect a wet and windy Friday with the temperature soaring into the mid to upper 50s. The southerly wind will be screaming to 60-70 mph a few hundred feet off the surface. It’s possible some 40-50 mph gusts could mix down to the surface. At a minimum, that would scatter Christmas decorations and could cause downed branches and power lines. It looks like a soaker with about 2″ of rain possible in Connecticut and 1-2″ in Rhode Island in Southeastern Massachusetts. Heavy rain moves out late Friday night, and the weekend should be pretty quiet. 

Mild air lingers on Saturday with highs in the 50s. It turns colder, but closer to normal, on Sunday with highs not far from 40. Both days should be dry. The ground will be bare of snow as December 24 approaches. It will take a last-minute storm system to bring a white Christmas, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility. It’s still a week away, but the European model has been hinting at an Alberta Clipper storm system that could bring light snow Christmas Eve. Expect a seasonably cold Christmas week with temps generally in the 20s at night and 30s during the day. 

European model brings a well-timed Alberta Clipper for anyone dreaming of a white Christmas