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December Debut

In December, on average, Boston's high temperature drops from 46 on the 1st to 38 on the 31st. The low drops from 33 down to 24 from the beginning to the end of the month. The record high for the month is 76 degrees set on the 7th in 1998. The record low for the month is -17  degrees set on the 29th in 1933. The average total precipitation is 3.73″ with 6.6″ of snow and 52% of the possible sunshine. This December, the Full Cold Moon occurs on the 17th at 4:28 am. The Winter Solstice happens at 12:11 pm on the 21st. The sunrise changes from 6:54 am on the 1st to 7:13 am on the 31st. The sunset starts at 4:12 pm on the 1st, is the earliest at 4:11 pm on the 8th then ends on the 31st at 4:21 pm.

This first day of December also marks the first day of meteorological winter and it started off with a bang this morning over many areas north and west of Boston with glazed roads produced by freezing mist and light freezing rain. I had suggested on my weathercasts Friday evening and again last evening that some slick spots could result. It only took a minor amount of mist to cause havoc and multiple accidents. Additional icy places cannot be ruled out tonight as well as temperatures hover near or slightly below 32 mainly in areas farther and farther north and west of Boston. In those places, the temperatures struggled to rise a few degrees above freezing with a cold, damp drift of air in from the north and northeast. Meantime, on the other side of a weak inverted trough of low pressure, it warmed up to the lower to middle 40s closer to Boston and southward where upper 40s were more common over Cape Cod. Watch for areas of fog tonight but most of the showery rains will exit offshore this evening as mist lingers into the night.

There is no thrust of dry air into the region tomorrow so it looks like we'll be locked in under a gloomy sky with perhaps a bit of brightening in the afternoon. We will be situated between today's inverted trough and Tuesday's storm. The latest guidance leads me to believe that the ocean storm will only graze Cape Cod and the Islands early in the day. As the system intensifies offshore, drier air will be drawn into the region leading to some breaks of sunshine developing during the afternoon. It should warm to the upper 40s with a freshening wind. Similar highs are anticipated on Wednesday when it will be mainly sunny all day with a brisk morning breeze decreasing during the afternoon.

Looking ahead, warmer air will be propelled into New England on Thursday amidst much cloudiness streaming in from the southwest. Temperatures should rise to the lower to middle 50s. As an approaching cold front gets closer, its ribbon of rain will shift into the area later in the day and likely linger through Friday night into early Saturday. It will be a damp stretch but the rain will be on and off as weak impulses pass along the frontal boundary. It will likely stay mild Thursday night then turn colder during Friday. Presently, it doesn't look like it will cool off sufficiently to result in a switch to snow before the final wave exits early Saturday morning. Much colder air will arrive next Saturday night and Sunday's highs will be closer to 32 again despite bright sunshine. Much of the western and central parts of the nation is in for some unusually frigid weather in the next couple of weeks. Some of this cold will occasionally burst into the Northeast as well but there are no signs of any snowstorms yet.

Subbing for Todd Gutner, Danielle Niles will be posting her thoughts tomorrow morning.

Make it a great week!

 

 

 

 

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