This time of year with temperatures into the 40s, we typically don't see a lot of snow melt.
Even with temperatures above freezing the ground is below 32 degrees and that helps keep the base of the snow intact. It also helps that we have a limited amount of daylight during the day and that December sun angle is very low in the Sky.
Unfortunately if you were hoping and wishing for a white Christmas, the odds aren't in our favor. We are expecting what we call a Grinch storm Christmas Eve night into Christmas morning.
Let's focus on the near term as temperatures drop back down into the teens and 20s tonight. Highs tomorrow will stay below average in the mid-30s .
Clouds will thicken up Wednesday night and skies will stay mostly cloudy through Christmas Eve.
Rain will arrive after Christmas Eve dinner and pick up an intensity through the night. Strong winds will accompany their heavy rain. Wind gusts may exceed 50 mph.
Because it will be warm, wet and windy… we are expecting rapid snowmelt. Temperatures may reach 60 degrees across the region.
As we go into Christmas afternoon, temperatures will freefall into the 20s and the rain may end as a few wet snowflakes. Make sure you are devices are charged and that your sump pumps have a battery backup.
More on Climate Change
On top of the one to three inches of rainfall that's forecast, there is an additional one to two inches of water in the snow that's on the ground.
Colder air will move in for the weekend with high temperatures staying in the upper 20s and low 30s Saturday and Sunday.
At this point, next week remains unsettled with chances of rain and snow. Compared with this week it does look a little bit colder.
