Warm Air Wins and Chilly Rain Stays North

Is it really December? Well you can tell if you have been out shopping today like me. I would still call it a procrastinator's delight. There is nothing worse than soggy presents before they are wrapped or having to walk a long way to your parking spot in bitter cold wind chills. We have nothing like that weatherwise to contend with. But, I did snap a shot of the 22 degree halo over us this afternoon. This was caused by sunlight being refracted twice by hexagonal ice crystals or snow flakes at about 30,000 feet. This is probably as close as we will get to a White Christmas because I still think we could challenge record highs near 80 over the next couple days. A few areas mainly in southeast Georgia had a few rain showers today but most of us stayed dry and this trend will continue not only tonight but through the next several days.

Temperatures right now in Green Bay are near 40 with no snow on the ground. It could be their first brown Christmas since 2006. This is significant for us because the polar air that usually pushes fronts south of us this time of year is nowhere to be found. So we have a stalled front to our north as a result and it is not moving our way anytime soon.

You see this is not an easy forecast. Not far from home it is raining with even some embedded thunder. We will continue to have waves of showers at times mainly over Georgia. Our next chance will be Friday night and early Saturday. Then another area low pressure will form along our stalled boundary and bring more rain chances Christmas Day. Right now the front look like it will be north of Jacksonville on Christmas. This would mean Georgia would have the better chance of rain. Areas near Alma may only be in the lower 60s with a soggy afternoon with areas from Jacksonville south will be well into the 70s once again and mainly dry. So you can throw around the new football outside!



I do think this front will get a better push over us by Monday and Tuesday. That is when the heavier downpours will likely occur. Until then look for the clouds and unsually warm weather to continue. If you are traveling it does not look bad at all with the least amount of snow cover for this time of year since 2004 over the United States and no big snow or ice storms expected. Just be careful of heavier bands of rain the farther north you travel. Now off to do the big shows! See  you soon.