Christmas Eve Day in New England is about as favorable for last-minute errands and travel as one could hope for – nationally, even the storm in the Southeast U.S. has departed with the only remaining trouble spots found in the Desert Southwest, from Phoenix to Las Vegas, where rain will cause delays and in Salt Lake City where a combination of light and rain and snow will fall.
Close to home, lots of Tuesday sunshine will make sunglasses a necessary accessory for drivers, but won’t have a big impact on temperatures, which started in the 30s to near 40 and won’t reach beyond the lower to middle 40s, cooler north.
This tempered temperature rise is held in check owing to a new push of cool air on a northerly wind Tuesday, creating a wind chill value in the 30s…not bad for late December but enough that New Englanders feel the chill.
The chill in the air will become more apparent after dark, when wind chill values dip into the 20s and teens with actual temperatures subfreezing regionwide overnight, not only meaning the winter coat, gloves and hat will be called upon for Christmas Eve visitors, but also freezing some of the melted moisture on driveways and walkways, so watch for slick spots under foot as you walk back to the car tonight.
Christmas Morning dawns with sunshine and a wintry feeling, and the cool air won’t relent entirely during the day under a blend of variable clouds and sun with highs struggling to reach 40 but a very light wind that means Christmas afternoon may actually feel slightly milder than Christmas Eve afternoon did.
A very similar day of sun and clouds with highs near 40 is expected Thursday before the next disturbance arrives to the sky of New England from the west, prompting a few rain showers south and mixed showers north Friday – not much precipitation is expected but any wintry mix has the potential to create slick spots so we’ll pay close attention.
A more formidable chance of rain returns Sunday into early next week, with some North Country snow and perhaps even a transition to freezing rain possible for some before the storm exits by New Year’s Eve for what we expect to be dry and moderate weather for both the evening and New Year’s Day itself in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast.
