Storm 12.20: Prospects for a White Christmas

Predicting a storm seven days in advance is rarely a good idea, but times being what they are, we're pulling the trigger early and CALLING FOR A FULL SNOW DAY ON DECEMBER 20TH! WOOT-WOOT! Break out the wassail!

Actually, we're just funnin'.

While the current long range forecast is for snow that day, we're skeptical about a major snow event. Of course, you, as a faithful and educated reader of this weather brokerage service, want to know why, and herewith is your answer:

Hmmm, you may be saying, that weather map sure looks promising. Well, as my old junior high gym teacher used to say, "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." (As shocking as it may sound, he wasn't exactly the cheery, upbeat, glass-is-half-full type--the guy made Scrooge look like Dale Carnegie.)

The map on the witness stand above has a glaring problem. That low that you see scootching across the country is too flat--its eastward movement will not allow it to suck enough moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico to bring us the blockbuster storm we desperately need right now. The only promising possibility out of the scenario above is that it will hit the coast, forming a coastal low (okay) or linking up with a secondary low (great, but unlikely) and taking a left hand turn up the coast.

Next week's lively pattern does very much warrant attention. Fortunately, friends, you can leave that heavy lifting up to us while you concentrate on your holiday cookie recipes and Secret Santa gifts. We'll update you on or around Friday with the latest developments.