Nasty weather ahead

With high pressure building today, it will be a spectacular late December day, with abundant sunshine, light winds, and temperatures rising into the 30s. Here is a look at this morning's sunrise over I-84 in Middlebury, CT.

It'll be a perfect day to get out and enjoy the snowpack that we've built up from the storm last week. Right now, much of New England has roughly a 10 inch snow pack, with certain areas even deeper.

(NOAA/ NOHRSC)

In typical east coast fashion, that snow pack that we've built up will seemingly disappear overnight around Christmas.

NWS forecast map valid Thursday morning (NWS)

Low pressure moves eastward and by mid-day Thursday, we can expect temperatures to rise into the upper 40s with rain showers beginning to fall. Here is a look at NAM forecasted temperatures for at 1:00 p.m.

(Tropical Tidbits)

The main storm action takes place on Friday morning, Christmas day. This storm will have very strong winds that could lead to power outages, heavy rain which will contribute to snow melt, dense fog in spots, and high dew points that will further melt the snow pack.

Especially for coastal areas, winds will be extremely strong, and with the lack of leaves on the trees, it'll be very easy for power outages to occur.

(Tropical Tidbits)

Here is a look at forecasts surface winds for Hyannis, MA. Gusts could be greater than 60 mph!

(NWS Boston)

Temperatures will be unseasonably warm on Friday morning, with some areas seeing Christmas morning temperature readings above 60 °F.

(Tropical Tidbits)

Aside from the heavy rains, the warmth, and the winds, the dew points will be incredibly high with this system, causing a blow to our snowpack.

(Tropical Tidbits)

The front that will move through behind this storm can clearly be seen on all the maps I've shown. After that front moves through, temperatures will quickly plummet, and some freezing will occur. Enjoy the snowpack and the nice weather while we have it!