Christmas Eve starts off the week with some clouds, but generally a dry, decent day. Cold air remains in place, with temps near to slightly below normal. A cold front in the upper Midwest today will try and move over the region overnight tonight through Christmas day tomorrow. That front has minor moisture with it, so for Christmas we can expect a few sprinkle and flurries. Coverage will be minor, around 40%-50% of the state, and liquid equivalent moisture will be under a tenth of an inch. This is not anything that will cause travel problems or issues for Christmas, but it will mean a somewhat cloudy, gray holiday.
Clouds will mix with a bit of sun on Wednesday, but we do see clouds starting to increase again later Wednesday afternoon ahead of our next system. Winds turn to the south Wednesday and will increase in the afternoon and evening. Temps will be building and should finish the week above normal.
Rain arrives Thursday and continues through the first part of Friday. We are looking for .25”-.75” with coverage at 100% of the state. A look at the end of the week is in the map above. We likely go dry Friday afternoon. Colder air is on the way behind this system but should wait until Saturday before truly taking controls. We will be partly sunny on Saturday.
Light snow and flurries move over the northern half of the state for next Sunday, bringing the potential for a coating to 1” of snow from SR 28 northward. There will be no significant precipitation for the rest of central and southern Indiana…and we may even see good sun down south. A mix of clouds and sun expected for New Year’s Eve on Monday, and then partly sunny skies for New Years day and next Wednesday. Temps will stay normal to a bit below.
Snow moves into southern Indiana next Wednesday night and continues through Thursday the 3rd. This snow stays south of I-70, but accumulations are likely in that area, and they could be significant, if the cold air holds in as we currently anticipate. There will be no precipitation north of I-70. We are back to dry weather for Friday the 4th.
Another significant warm up could be on the way for the 5th through the 7th, with well above normal temps. This will set up a potential strong storm for the night of the 7th through the 8th. Right now, cold air appears to race in at the same time moisture develops, meaning we could see some snow, and there is potential for some good accumulations. However, there is plenty of time for the pattern to shift and the system to evolve. Overall, the coming 2 week period has the potential for some very wild swinging weather. Merry Christmas!
