December 15, 2017
Sure, Christmas is 10 days away, about the same length of time that a bit of clarity begins to seep into the meteorological crystal ball.
And while most forecasters know better than to talk about weather – especially for a big holiday – with any definitive authority this far out, we figured, bah humbug! let's have at it.
First off, we'll remind you that a La Niña is in place and affecting our weather patterns. Historically, that means lots of winter weather in the Northeast and warmer temperatures and low-than-normal precipitation in the South.
In the Mid-Atlantic, we typically see a mixed bag, with the greatest variability in weather patterns through the winter. That usually means periods of high-impact winter weather counterbalanced by periods of much mild weather in and around these parts.
Kinda describes our weather so far this season, right?
But what about the holiday weather. Might our annual dreams for a White Christmas come true in 2017? Here's how a number of weather prediction outfits see it shaping up (with apologies in advance.)
According to the AccuWeather long-range forecast, the bone-chilling cold of recent looks to return to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve, with temperatures reaching about 52 degrees during the day and settling down to about 26 at night. Skies will be mostly cloudy skies with a chance of rain.
Christmas Day cools off significantly, with the high temperature dropping to about 42 degrees, and a mix of sun and clouds.
The National Weather Service, which does not provide daily forecasts beyond 7 days, does foresee the probability of temperatures and precipation in the Philadelphia region for the period including the Christmas holiday as slightly above normal.
The Old Farmer's Almanac, which claims its famous weather prognostication are traditionally 80 percent accurate though made 18 months in advance, also sees rain and mild temperatures of the Dec. 24-27 frame.
Meanwhile, The Weather Network is predicting cooler temperatures for Christmas Eve (high of 39, low of 28) with a 30 percent probability of precipitation. It's virtually a repeat prediction for Christmas Day, with a slightly lower high temperature (37 degrees) and rain accumulation of 0.1 inches.
So there it is. As the long-range fog lifts in the crystal ball, we'll be sure to keep you up-to-date.
Meanwhile, keep dreaming...
