Dec 17, 2012: Rain Tonight, Thursday Night

Note: The current limited posting schedule with 1 discussion in 2-3 days will end late this week. The typical daily posting schedule will resume next weekend.

Forecast Overview:


Today - Tuesday: Following the departure of the overnight showers, another round of rain is expected on Monday night, with mainly cloudy skies and highs in the low to mid 40s inland and mid to upper 40s elsewhere on Monday. Light to moderate rain is expected overnight with locally heavy showers possible. Rain totals are expected to generally end up around 1/2 to 3/4 inch for most with locally higher totals possible. Temperatures will reach the upper 40s to low 50s inland and the low to possibly mid 50s for the rest of the area on Tuesday with mostly cloudy skies and increasingly windy conditions from the NW.

Wednesday - Friday: Wednesday will be another windy day but with mostly sunny skies, as high temperatures reach the mid 40s inland and the upper 40s for the rest of the area. Lighter winds are expected for Thursday with highs slightly warmer than those of Wednesday. By Thursday night, a strong low pressure will move into the Great Lakes region, with temperatures overnight steadily rising into the low to possibly mid 50s across the area while moderate to locally heavy rain affects the area with the cold front. Once the front moves through, temperatures will quickly cool down by the morning hours into the 30s west of NYC and 40s in NYC and north/east, with mostly cloudy skies and windy conditions for Friday with highs in the 40s for most.

Longer Range: There is still some uncertainty regarding what happens in the longer range with the late week storm, with the latest model guidance keeping the upper level low suppressed over the region with a strong block to its north, which would result in several days of near to colder than average temperatures, with highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s, starting on Saturday. At this time, a cold and dry Christmas appears likely, with a storm potential afterwards. Stay tuned for more information on the longer range.