Some of us are dreaming of a white Christmas – and for some of us, we’ll get it! However, you’ll want to note that I did just write “some of us,” because for many of us, this Christmas will be more “wet” than “white.” So here are the details on our “Christmas snow… and rain… and wind.”
Flakes and drops will begin to break out just after midnight tonight. If you’re planning on traveling into the overnight hours, you should be okay – as most of this stuff to start will be light and scattered in nature. The rain/snow line looks to set up inland of the I-95 corridor for most of this event… So, that means for coastal locations and SE Mass, this is just plain rain. Between 4-7am there could be some pockets of heavier snow that may reduce visibility to white-out conditions. This will make travel a “slow go,” and possibly even a “no go” for a time early tomorrow morning. Here’s how the map looks at 5am:
You can see where that rain/snow line is around the I-95 corridor – keeping raindrops over Boston. But for areas NW of 128, we’re talking about a decent amount of snow for Christmas, especially for the higher terrain:
There’s a possibility that before this system departs, it may thump Boston with some colder air and a little bit of snow accumulation. So… it’s still possible that Boston gets in on a slushy coating (maybe up to 2″ of slush away from the coast).
This is a quick moving system – and it’s in and outta here before Christmas dinner. We should see the last of the flakes between 10-11am:
That means travel conditions will improve for tomorrow afternoon and evening:
Then, it’s all about the very strong wind – blasting out of the west and ushering in some colder air to set us up for a very cold week ahead. A Wind Advisory will be in effect for all of the Bay State from 1pm – 7pm, for wind 20-30mph with gusts to 50mph possible. My main concern for damage/power outages is in the interior. While that’s not the strongest of the wind, many spots inland still have the ice from our ice storm yesterday – put a few inches of snow on top of that – then blast the wind for a good chunk of the day… and we’ve got problems. The South Shore, Cape Cod and islands will experience even stronger wind, gusting up to 65mph – where a High Wind Warning will be in effect from 7am-4pm:
Tuesday looks much quieter – and better for travel, if you’re headed home from “over the river and through the woods.” It’s quiet for the bulk of next week, but it’s also COLD!
I’m here wishing all of my best to you and your family during this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! – Breezy