Holiday Weather System Arrives

LIVE ANIMATED RADAR VIA WEATHER UNDERGROUND



SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21st
Winter arrived on Sunday where we actually saw some sunshine and high temperature of 36, which was nearly seasonal. The normal high was 38. The nice day came after a frosty chilly start w/ a low temperature of 20°. It was the 2nd time this month and 11th time this fall/winter season we've seen a low go 20 or below. The normal low is 23. Both readings were a far cry from their respective records of 67 (1967) and -21 (1989). Sunday was the 11th day below normal for the month.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22nd
Clouds returned and dominated the skies on Monday. The day started off dry and the low temperature was not as cold as Sunday. The actual low was 27, this was above the normal low of 23. During the afternoon, rain nudged its way closer but not everyone saw it. We did, however, record 0.04" of rain. Temperatures continued to go up, reaching a high of 46 late that evening. The average day's temperature was 37°, which was 7° above normal. One side note about the day, we began to increase daylight. We gain 1 sec w/ an additional 4 secs on Tuesday. Not noticeable at all, but something worth mentioning as we've been losing daylight time since June 21st (summer solstice). Overall, we lost 5 hrs 38 mins 20s of daylight from June 21st to Dec 21st.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23rd
On Tuesday, we sunshine returned for a little while, and temperatures continued to climb. We started the day in the mid 40s but by noon time we were in the mid 50s. It marked the warmest day of the year. It was the 26th time a Dec 23rd had reached a high 50+. It was also the warmest for the date since 2007 but still wasn't close to the record of 64° set back in 1933. The day's average temperature of 50° was 20° above normal and the warmest since November 30th. It marked the 10th day above normal for the month. Clouds invaded the afternoon with a few sprinkles from time to time. More rain pushed through during the evening hours after 8pm. The official precipitation total for the day was 0.17".

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24th

Light rain continued during the overnight hours going into Wednesday. By 8AM, the city had seen a 12 hr precipitation total of 0.27". Temperatures have and will continue to fall back throughout the day. 30s this afternoon will allow a change in precipitation type from rain to sleet/snow. Due to warm surface temps, initially, the 1st handful of snowflakes that fall will melt upon contact. Eventually, there will be some accumulations as the evening and overnight hours continue on. A big bulk of the accumulations will be on grassy areas & rooftops. The 1st flake could fall here in the city at anytime around or after 3pm. The system should come to an end by Christmas Day morning. As for total accumulations, we are not looking at a significant amount. Some of flakes melting will cut down on the totals along with any sleet that may get mixed in, if any. A general forecast is of an inch or less though. The farther N/NW you go, you could see higher totals. Nobody is expecting to see more than 3", and if so, it will be very isolated. One thing to watch out for though, will be banding that can produce heavier snow. Just keep a eye on radar and be weather aware of any changes.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25th
Again, Thursday, this mess of a weather maker will be done. Winds will be gusting in excess of 30 mph Wednesday and Thursday, which will allow for visibility to be reduced. If your traveling on roads, drive with caution, and leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Also, utilize those turning signals and slow down! If you are traveling by air, make sure you check with your airline for any delays or cancellations. Also, a lot of people may be traveling so arrive early as lines may be long.
Temperatures on Thursday will remain in the 30s. Can't rule out the possibility of a few flurries, otherwise, it will be drier especially in the afternoon and evening hours. Could even see some sun too! Wind chill temps may be in the 20s.

UPCOMING....
A look ahead, we are eyeing the next potential weather maker to end the year that could offer the potential of more (accumulating) snow along with a push of more colder air. More details will be available in the coming days.



Here's a look at a few Xmas Day Weather Stats. For more Christmas climatology, click HERE.



I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY HOLIDAYS! HAVE FUN, BE SAFE, AND REMEMBER JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! ITS NOT ALL ABOUT RECEIVING GIFTS YOU KNOW! IF YOU DON'T READ MY NEXT BLOG OR IF I HAPPEN TO FAIL TO POST ONE, I'D ALSO LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A PROSPEROUS HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!!!