ARCTIC AIR IS COMIN' TO TOWN....

We knew it couldn't last. December has been unusually mild and in my local area temperatures as a whole have been seven degrees above normal. The departure is even higher when you isolated the high temperatures:

Now cold air is charging in and is going to lead to a cold end to 2017. High temperatures this weekend will be in the teens and 20s across the Midwest:

And it does get colder... here's a look at the temperature departures for the next seven days:

It will of course be colder depending on where snow falls.. which, as always, is still in question. Models are still disagreeing on where snow falls Christmas Eve. To start off.. here is the current snow depth in the Midwest:

A weak storm will move through the Midwest and produce some snow on Sunday. Last hope for a white Christmas... at the final hour! Because of the cold temperatures this system will produce fluffy snow and amounts could range from 1 to 3 inches. The question is where.... Here's what the latest GFS thinks:

The NAM... pretty similar:

And the Euro... checking in further north and a bit more bullish on amounts:

The highest chances appear to be right along the Iowa/Missouri border, but in my local area there is the potential for at least a dusting as far north as Cedar Rapids. If we do get snow it would be the first white Christmas for much of my local area since 2013! Regardless of that snow, though, it is going to be a cold Christmas Day -- the coldest since 2012!

Throw and extra log on the fire and put some cocoa in your cup!

RK