The snow that recently fell has all but disappeared due to melting, but if you’re one of the many people dreaming of a white Christmas, don’t give up on your dream just yet, some weather forecasters are saying.
If you’re dreading the possibility of frozen precipitation on the holiday, stay tuned, because the forecast is likely to change frequently over the next few days.
The current forecast calls for a sizable storm to develop along the Mid-Atlantic coast Christmas Eve, with cold air pouring in behind it.
“A coastal system has the potential to bring a period of snow to the area Sunday into Monday,” National Weather Service forecasters noted in a hazardous weather outlook issued Wednesday. However, “there is still a lot of uncertainty,” they cautioned.
“At this time, the most likely form of precipitation will be rain from Philadelphia to New York City,” an Accuweather story by senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski published Wednesday said. “However, just enough cold air may be around in the swath from Washington, D.C., to near Boston for any form of precipitation, including snow, to occur.”
“The track and strength of the storm, as well the speed at which much colder air arrives, will determine the form of precipitation from the Appalachians to the I-95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and New England from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day,” Sosnowski said.
Weather website PA Weather Action cautiously broached the subject of winter weather on Christmas in a forecast discussion published Tuesday.
“Even though we are still 5-6 days away from impact, our early opinion is that a storm does ride up the coast close enough to deliver a white Christmas for at least someone in Pennsylvania,” Lead Forecaster Chris Corrigan wrote. “Currently we are favoring the interior (North and West of Interstate 78),” he added.
If a winter storm does form and affect the Mid-Atlantic, it could potentially affect the Christmastime travel of millions of Americans.
It would also mark the first time there’s been accumulating snow in the Lehigh Valley on Christmas in a number of years.
Would you like a white Christmas? Tell us in the comments.
