The drumbeat continues with more mainly clear and cold weather in the forecast as we head into the midweek. By the end of this stretch, we could be looking at 12 straight days without measurable precipitation in Providence and Bridgeport. The last streak that long in Providence was from late August to early September, and there has not been a streak that long all year in Bridgeport.
The temperature is running below normal for the month with just two of the 10 days above normal so far. The high temperature struggles to reach 40° both Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be even colder on Thursday. All the while, expect some sunshine each day. A weak disturbance passing through Wednesday night will bring some clouds, but probably not much in the way of precipitation. There’s a good chance it stays dry with just a few flurries possible.
Clouds increase on Friday as it stays chilly. A storm moving out of the South Central United States brings rain by early Saturday. It can take a little while to dislodge cold air, so I’ll be watching to see if enough hangs on for a bit of snow/sleet at the onset. Odds favor mainly or all rain from this system. Saturday could be a washout depending on how the storm evolves. It will be a raw day with temps in the 40s to near 50 at the coast. Wind does not look like a big factor with the storm.
Dry weather moves in on Sunday, with seasonable temps in the low 40s. It will stay cool in the early to middle part of next week before a warming trend in the mid to late workweek. By then, it’s less than a week until Christmas, and the ground will be bare of snow. The historical odds of a white Christmas (1″ snow on ground) are less than 50/50 in most of CT, RI, and SE MA, and this year it looks like a long shot to get any snow before the holiday.
Warmer pattern (relative to normal) Dec 15-25
The European weeklies computer model is arriving this evening, and there are signs of a colder/active pattern between Christmas in the New Year. It’s certainly not unusual to get a winter storm in that time frame. I will have an update on what the weeklies showed for the next 4-6 weeks on Tuesday. In the meantime, stay warm!
