ORLANDO, Fla. – For my fellow Floridians out there, I want to rip the band-aid off almost immediately: Florida will be staying FAR away from any wintry activities as we approach the Christmas holiday.
In fact, our weather here across town will be more on the pleasant side, especially if you’re one who counts your blessings that we aren’t a part of the winter weather shenanigans that tend to occur up north.
Now, if you’re on the prowl for a white Christmas and want to take full advantage, this is where I encourage you look.
The northeast right out of the gate looks to collect a bulk of our seasonal snowfall. Since we’re beneath a La Nina pattern in the Tropical Pacific, our jet stream guiding winter storms as they develop will likely stay predominantly up north.
Even now, we find it screaming across the northern Rocky Mountains, almost parallel to the border of Canada and the U.S., before flowing through the Great Lakes and northeast U.S. out over open water.
The jet stream dictates all; wherever the jet is found, that’s where the majority of your weather action is going to occur. On the north side of the jet, the cold side as we call it, is where your snowfall comes down.
Right now, computer models keep the jet displaced well north of Florida, and the southern U.S. altogether.
There’s a bit of wonkiness however, as to be expected, as we look ahead toward Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The American GFS model suggests a snow storm to blast across the northern U.S. beginning around Dec. 22 to Dec. 23 and persisting through the Christmas festivities.
The primary areas looking to feel the impacts if this does come to fruition more or less, are your higher elevation areas of the Rockies spanning from the Sierra Nevada, parts of Idaho, Utah, Montana, and the front ranges of Wyoming and Colorado.
The low pressure looks to tear across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, through the Great Lakes and into the Northeast. Remember - on the north of this storm system is where you can locate your wrap-around snowfall.
BUT here’s the kicker: The European computer model is not nearly as enthusiastic about an upcoming snowstorm. While it shows snow for the western states amidst the Rocky Mountains, from the Great Plains through to the Atlantic coast of the US, the model shows virtually no one getting a single snowflake.
The model does capture the upcoming storm but looks to produce a rain/freezing precipitation mix for the same mentioned areas where the GFS plasters snowfall.
The above average heat could definitely make things a little interesting for those of you out there waiting to get that snow dose to arrive in time to say Merry Christmas.
We’ll continue to monitor here at News 6, especially as we get closer in time so we can provide you with an even more accurate Christmas preview.