For the sun lovers, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for since June 21st. The days start getting longer after Sunday. Yep. We’re two days away from teh Winter Solstice. Truth be told, the sun has been setting later each day since the 8th, but the sunrise has been eating it at the other end, rising a bit later each morning. Oddly, that will continue on the sunrise end until early January, it’s just that the sunset compensates by setting a little later.
Um, hope I haven’t lost you there. Sunrise/sunset math can be a little complex (and I haven’t even touched upon the discrepancy between real noon and solar noon). Let’s get on to the weekend and Christmas.
If you’re bummed about the idea of a brown (or green) Christmas this year, take heart. Some spots will actually have a chance for some white in the next two days. Check the graphic to the right. A lil’ ocean effect snow may fly this weekend as the winds turn in from the northeast. This is a fickle forecast, and one that I had to warm up to. I’m not putting up a snowfall map, but instead just issuing a blanket forecast for a coating to as much as 1″ of snow late Saturday and through all of Sunday.
So throw on that gaudy holiday sweater and bake up some goodies, ’cause this will be the closest we get to a Christmas feel in the coming days. Warmer air will infiltrate the area through early next week, culminating in a solid, windy rainstorm Wednesday and Wednesday night.
As the winds howl from the southeast, highs should hit the mid 50s Christmas Eve before falling back to the 40s on Christmas Day. Saving grace here: arctic air will not smack us immediately after Christmas day. In fact, we may have to wait until nearly New Year’s Eve to see that.
And what’s a New Year’s without bitter air?
Make it a good, safe weekend.
Pete