SYRACUSE, NY – It’s feeling unseasonably mild and there’s no weather warning in sight. Temperatures will be about 10°C above normal starting this week, but a blast of cold air with temperatures about 10°C below normal will end the week. On the map below, warmer colors indicate fine and mild weather over the Northeast tomorrow.

The first day of winter on Saturday shows a complete change in temperature and brings plenty of cold air into the weekend. With cold air comes snow in the days leading up to Christmas!

The warmer weather will end with a storm system arriving Wednesday afternoon. Precipitation will begin as widespread rain, but as temperatures drop, it is expected to transition to snow by Wednesday evening. Some snow accumulation is to be expected, particularly at higher elevations. As this system moves outward, a lot of cold air flows in, making everything feel like winter by the end of the week.

After that, highs will be in the 20s and lows in the teens, with a few light snow showers sticking around to end the week, just in time for the first day of winter on Saturday. This is the winter solstice, which is also the first day of the year.

The cold trend will continue through the weekend and into early next week, with the Climate Prediction Center calling for below-average temperatures between December 21 and 25. That being said, any snow on the ground starting this Wednesday night has a good chance of sticking around for a white Christmas next Wednesday.

The Climate Prediction Center also has below-normal precipitation for December 21-25 across much of the country, including central NY. This gives hope for relatively dry weather and easier holiday travel in the days before Christmas. Currently it looks possible for the weather to change in the North East on Christmas Eve, but we are still over a week away from this so uncertainty remains high.

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