Good morning everyone and Happy First Day of Winter!
Skies are mostly clear early on this Wednesday morning and temperatures are seasonably cold with early readings ranging from 23 in Clifton down to 13 at Walpack. Winds are calm or light northerly!
CLIFTON’S ALMANAC FOR DECEMBER 21ST:
AVERAGE HIGH: 42 AVERAGE LOW: 24
RECORD HIGH: 61 – 2013 RECORD LOW: 5 – 1989
YESTERDAY’S HIGH: 39 LOW: 27 PRECIPITATION: NONE
The calm before the storm today as high pressure will be over the area today, temperatures will be seasonably cold but with much less wind than the last few days.
A major winter storm will move just to our west on Thursday with rain developing by the afternoon which may start off as a wintery mix well inland. Rain will become heavy at times Thursday night with an increase in winds.
A strong southeasterly flow with gusts near 50 mph on Friday ahead of an Arctic cold front that will pass through our area in the early afternoon. Highs will be in the 50s in the morning dropping to the low 20s by sunset and to the low teens by Saturday morning with a flash freeze possible. Rain from this system may briefly change to snow before ending Friday night mainly across the higher elevations to our north and west.
Very cold but dry Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with highs only in the 20s, the last time that both of these days were that cold was in 1989.
Dry with a slow moderation in temperatures early next week.
THE FORECAST:
TODAY – DEC 21 – Mostly sunny, high near 40.
TONIGHT – Increasing cloudiness, low in the upper 20s.
THURSDAY – DEC 22 – Rain developing by noon, high near 50. Heavy rain at night with increasing winds.
FRIDAY – DEC 23 – Rain with possible thunder ending by evening. Strong winds gusting to 50 mph, early highs in the 50s falling to the low 20s by sunset. Total rainfall amounts of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches likely.
SATURDAY – DEC 24 – Mostly sunny, breezy and very cold, high only in the low 20s.
CHRISTMAS DAY – DEC 25 – Sunny, high in the upper 20s.
MONDAY – DEC 26 – Mostly sunny, high in the low 30s.
TUESDAY – DEC 27 – Partly sunny, high in the upper 30s.
MARINE FORECAST: TODAY – Northerly winds to 10 knots, seas 1 foot.
OUTLOOK – A small craft advisory has been posted effective between 11 a.m. Thursday morning until 7 p.m. Thursday evening; a gale watch has been posted effective between Thursday evening through Friday night; small craft advisories likely for both Saturday and Sunday; no advisories expected for Monday.
Have a nice day and stay safe!