Several fronts expected ahead of Christmas holiday
The first front brings clouds and windy weather late Monday into Tuesday
Skies remain partly cloudy overnight with dry conditions expected. However, areas of dense fog can’t be ruled out toward sunrise reducing visibility, especially across the Southside. Lows slip to the mid 30s.
MONDAY
We’ll notice a mix of sun and clouds after the morning fog moves out after sunrise. Afternoon highs will warm to the low 50s in many areas. A cold front will move through late Monday evening with a stray (rain/snow) shower in the mountains. The more notable impact will be the strong wind gusts entering by Monday night into Tuesday morning. Winds may reach 20-30 mph with higher gusts.
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
More sunshine builds in Tuesday into Wednesday along with a slightly cooler afternoon Tuesday with most areas in the upper 40s. Low 50s are expected again Wednesday.
CHRISTMAS RAIN, WIND AND COLD & SNOW
Cold, Canadian air will blow into the area behind a strong cold front arriving Christmas Eve. Ahead of the front, rain will fall for nearly all areas most of Thursday into Thursday night. This means it will likely be soggy if you’re going to see Christmas lights.
Cold air will quickly move in behind the front Christmas morning and may end up changing rain over to snow if it can arrive fast enough. This isn’t typically a good snow maker for our area, and often only the mountains get the accumulating snow. However, it’s fun to dream of a white Christmas, and some areas may end up with at least some flurries or snow showers. Getting a coating or dusting is still unlikely for most outside of the typical areas along the VA/WV border. However, we’ll monitor as the week goes on.
Winds will turn very gusty behind the front Christmas Day and high temperatures only reach the low to mid 30s. You might say Santa is bringing the cold from the North Pole.
