The month of December has gotten off to a cold start across much of the nation and it’ll stay colder-than-normal in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor right through the upcoming weekend. The potential for any significant snow during this time period is quite limited; however, a “clipper” type of low pressure system can bring snow and/or rain showers here from later Wednesday night into early Thursday and small accumulations cannot be ruled out. More important weather impacts associated with this “clipper” system will include powerful winds that can gust past 45 mph or so on Thursday and the influx of another Arctic air mass into the Mid-Atlantic region for the end of the week.
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One of the coldest patterns in many years to start the month of December will result in below-normal temperatures right through this week and we’ll have to monitor a couple of systems that can bring some wintry precipitation to the region. After cold and relatively quiet days today and tomorrow, the mid-week will feature a “clipper” system dropping southeastward from central Canada to the Great Lakes region. This system will pass by to our north on Wednesday night, but it can bring some snow showers to the area and its trailing cold front should push through on Thursday ushering in another cold air mass for the late week and weekend. This frontal system may produce strong wind gusts around here on Thursday as there will be a powerful jet streak associated with it in the upper part of the atmosphere. Another low pressure system may impact us here with wintry precipitation sometime during the latter part of the upcoming weekend.
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A cold front cross the region on Tuesday, but the air behind it will not be all that cold and temperatures later today should peak near 50 degrees. Low pressure from the Tennessee Valley will move northeast later today and spread rain into our area from later tonight into Thanksgiving Day. Temperatures on Thursday are likely to spend most of the day in the 40’s and it turns colder by the upcoming weekend as a broad northwesterly flow of air forms on the backside of the departing low pressure system. The cold air outbreak that reaches the Mid-Atlantic region this weekend will be the opening salvo of what looks like an extended colder-than-normal stretch of weather that likely lasts through the first couple of weeks of December.
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One of the biggest weather stories going forward is the cold wave that is coming to much of the nation beginning late this week and likely continuing for much of the first couple weeks of December. In fact, this will likely be one of the coldest starts to the month of December in many years and it will have a “Siberian” connection.
Before we get to the cold wave, there will be a lot of weather to go through across much of the nation with significant snowfall in some areas. Low pressure is currently pushing eastward across the higher elevations of the western US resulting in substantial snow accumulations from the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California to the Colorado Rockies. Some of these locations will end up with snow totals on the order of 1-2 feet before this low spills out into the middle of the nation at mid-week.
From there, this low pressure system will move rather quickly across the Tennessee Valley on Wednesday night and to the southern New England coastline by mid-day Thursday. As a result, rain is likely to reach the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor by late Wednesday night and continue into Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Farther to the north, accumulating snow is likely to fall from early Thursday into early Friday across interior, higher elevation locations of northern PA, upstate NY and interior New England with several inches on the table.
Following the departure of the low pressure system to the western Atlantic, a northwesterly flow of air will develop across the northeastern quadrant of the nation bringing much colder-than-normal air from Canada into the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast US. The “Great Lakes snow machine” will get turned on with the much colder-than-normal air flowing over the still relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes from later Friday into Saturday and there is likely to be much more in the way of “lake-effect” snow activity during this upcoming cold wave.
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A cold front will cross the region early today and there will be lingering showers this morning and then clearing skies in the afternoon. It’ll be chilly on Wednesday with partly sunny skies and then attention turns to a low pressure system that will approach the region from the southwest. This system will likely push rain into the area from late Wednesday night into Thursday and then it should turn out to chilly and breezy on Friday with clearing skies. The weekend looks windy and cold in the Mid-Atlantic region and the colder-than-normal pattern that sets up this weekend is likely to last through at least the first full week of December.
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Low pressure will push eastward across the higher elevations of the western US during the next few days resulting in significant snow accumulations on the order of 1-2 feet from the Sierra Nevada Mountains of easter California to the Colorado Rockies. This same low pressure system will then spill out into the middle of the nation at mid-week and move rather quickly across the Tennessee Valley on Wednesday night and to the Mid-Atlantic coastline by mid-day Thursday. As a result, rain is likely to reach the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor by late Wednesday night and continue into Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) morning. Farther to the north, accumulating snow may fall from Thursday into Friday across interior, higher elevation locations of upstate PA and upstate NY to New England.
Following the departure of the low pressure system to the western Atlantic, a northwesterly flow of air will develop across the northeastern states bringing much colder-than-normal air from Canada into the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic and NE US. The “Great Lakes snow machine” will turn on with the much colder-than-normal air flowing over the still relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. Looking ahead, the influx of much colder-than-normal air into the eastern states by this weekend will begin a cold pattern that is likely to last well into December... one of the coldest starts in many years to the month of December and it will have a “Siberian connection”.
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A cold front will cross the region on Tuesday and it is likely to bring some rain to the area from late tonight into early Thursday. After the frontal passage, it’ll be chilly on Wednesday with partly sunny skies and then attention turns to a low pressure system that will approach the region from the southwest. This system will likely push rain into the area from late Wednesday night into Thursday and then it should turn out to chilly and breezy on Friday with clearing skies. The weekend looks windy and cold in the Mid-Atlantic region and the colder-than-normal pattern that sets up this weekend is likely to last through at least the first full week of December.
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Colder air has wrapped into our slow-moving storm system and there will be plenty of moisture to deal with today throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. As a result, snow is likely this morning across many of the northern and western suburbs and there can be small grassy accumulations…watch out for slick spots on roadways. Any snow that falls this morning is likely to change back to rain this afternoon as the overall upward motion in the atmosphere weakens. Significant snowfall is likely across the higher elevation locations of northeastern PA including the Pocono Mountains where early season skiing conditions should be quite good. The snow that falls will be of the “wet” variety as low-level temperatures will be “borderline” throughout this event.
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A strong cold front passed through in the overnight hours with a band of heavy rainfall and gusty winds and colder air has followed into the Mid-Atlantic region. Surface low pressure has formed along the northern Mid-Atlantic coastline, and instead of pushing to the north, it will be “forced” to rotate around as it becomes increasingly influenced by strong blocking high pressure to the north. As such, an area of moisture now over the northern Mid-Atlantic will loop back around and impact the entire region by later tonight and through the day on Friday.
As the atmosphere turns colder, the precipitation will mix with snow and/or ice pellets by later tonight in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor and then likely to all snow for awhile on Friday in much of the area. In fact, small accumulations are possible on Friday across many of the northern and western suburbs along the I-95 corridor. Significant snowfall of at least 6-12 inches is coming to much of the Appalachian Mountain chain including in the region from West Virginia to the Laurel Highlands of southwestern PA, and from the Poconos in northeastern PA to the Catskills and Adirondacks of upstate NY.
Looking ahead, there are signs for multiple cold air outbreaks to make their way from northern Canada into the central and eastern US as we push through the remainder of November and into the early part of December...quite a wintry look to the unfolding weather pattern that will include additional threats of snow for the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US.
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With a deepening upper-level trough overhead and a developing surface low pressure system, “wraparound” rain showers are likely today in an unstable environment and they’ll continue off and on right through tomorrow evening. The surface low pressure system will, in fact, be “forced” to rotate around for a period of time as it becomes increasingly influenced by the strong blocking high pressure system stationed to the north of here over northeastern Canada.
As colder air wraps into the system, the rain can mix with snow and/or ice pellets later tonight and likely changes to all snow for awhile on Friday with small accumulations possible. Significant snow of 6-12 inches is possible across some of the higher elevation locations of northeastern PA including, for example, the Pocono Mountains where early season skiing looks quite possible.
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