Late Week Arctic Front Brings Coldest Christmas on Delmarva in Over 20 Years
A powerful storm will bring unsettled times for Delmarva late this week but also frigid temperatures for Christmas Eve & Day.
The storm which will bring wintry weather for the Great Lakes will bring rain for Delmarva as early as Thursday. The timing of when the rain appears to begin late morning , with heavier amounts likely by Thursday evening. A semi-lull of the rain appears to take shape late overnight; before the rain from the cold front swings through by mid-morning into the afternoon. The rain will likely transition into a quick burst of a rain/snow mix before tapering off by mid to late afternoon. Rainfall amounts from this storm are much less than last week’s system ranging between 0.5″-1.25″.
The storm will not just have rain but also wind; which will begin to increase throughout the day on Thursday. These winds will be peak on Thursday evening but will subside briefly by the overnight hours. However, the arctic front will pack even stronger gusts which are forecasted to arrive during the morning and continue into the afternoon. Wind gusts from Thursday night could reach up to 40 mph, while Friday’s gusts can be as strong as 55 mph, especially along the coast. Winds will be breezy on Saturday making the Arctic air sting for Christmas Eve; subsiding all-together by Christmas Day.
Temperatures on Thursday will be climbing from the 30s before the rain’s arrival to the 50s by the evening; which will continue into Friday morning. By late Friday morning, as the front passes through, expect readings to plummet into the 20s by dinnertime. This will lead to a concern of a flash freeze from the recent rain; producing black ice on Friday night.
Skies for Christmas Eve & Day will be filled with abundant sunshine; but highs on both days will be cold & well below average by almost 20°, near 30°. Lows throughout the weekend will be frigid into the mid 10s. The last time Salisbury observed 30s on Christmas Eve was in 1999; while 30s on Christmas Day occurred more recently in 2010. If highs stay below freezing for both Christmas Eve & Day, it would be the 1st time to happen in the 21st century on either day. Lows in the 10s would also be the 1st time to occur in just over 20 years. Wind chills will be brutal Friday night and continuing into Saturday; feeling like the single digits to even some sub-zero readings at night while the mid-teens are expected during the day.
Make sure to stay tuned with our Storm Team throughout the week for the latest travel & holiday forecast.
