Weather

THURSDAY WEATHER: ❄️ Clouds today, then snow tonight.

• Sunrise/Sunset: 7:32/5:23.
• Average temps: 52°/30°. Records: 75° (1982), 10° (1979).
• Year-To-Date Rainfall: 55.8” (Normal: 52.8”).

❄️ DETAILS: We’ll see mostly cloudy skies today with a light breeze out of the north and a high of 41°. Tonight, snow becomes likely. There’s a 70% chance of snow, with a low of 29°. There’s a 60% continuing chance of precipitation tomorrow, beginning as snow and then changing to rain after 8 a.m., with a high of 42°. There’s a 30% chance of rain tomorrow night, with a low of 33°.

The big question on everyone’s mind is going to be road conditions. Original expectations were for above-freezing temperatures aloft to keep precipitation liquid tonight, or at least change it over to liquid as the night progresses. However, as of this writing, the latest short-term, high-resolution modeling data suggests just enough cold air near the surface to keep precipitation in the form of snow, with evaporational cooling at the onset of precipitation aiding just enough to keep precipitation in the form of snow throughout most of the night. The rain-snow transition line is expected to be very close to our area, so it’ll be touch-and-go either way. Additionally, this data is showing increased moisture availability tonight, which could provide potential for up to a couple of inches of snow accumulation. With that said, the official forecast from the National Weather Service, as of this writing, is for “little to no snow accumulation” overnight. This is an evolving situation, and either the NWS forecast could change, or the modeling data could change. If you have travel plans late tonight, keep an eye on the forecast throughout the day.

Again, regardless of what happens tonight, any remnant precipitation will change over to rain tomorrow with temperatures warming into the low 40s, so if road conditions deteriorate overnight they’ll improve fairly quickly tomorrow.

🎄PARADE OUTLOOK: Saturday is expected to bring mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of about 47° — pretty nice weather for Christmas parades around the area, all things considered. There’s a slight chance of rain or snow late Saturday night, after midnight, with temperatures dropping to just below freezing. Slight rain and snow chances continue Sunday with temperatures warming into the mid 40s.

💧NEXT WEEK: There’s a slight chance of snow Sunday night, with a low of 27°. After that, we’ll dry out Monday and Tuesday, with high temperatures ranging from the upper 30s Monday to the mid 40s Tuesday with a mix of clouds and sun. A slight chance of precipitation returns to the forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday, as we push to about 50°. There’s a chance for some light precipitation, possibly with another cooldown, at the end of next week.

FURTHER OUT: Our next major storm system may not show up until Dec. 17-18, though there are some storm signals around Dec. 14. It looks like temperatures are going to be stubborn to warm up through much of December, but it also doesn’t look like there is any extreme cold on the horizon.

❄️ SNOW WATCH: Light snow accumulations aren’t out of the question tonight. There is also a slight possibility of some inconsequential snow showers Sunday night into Monday.