Winds Whip In Winter Weather

The winds of change have pushed mild temps in the 50s yesterday to chills in the teens today. Wednesday was the sixth time Milwaukee experienced temperatures in the 50s during the month of December. A handful of other locations also had highs in the 50s. Check it out:

Yesterday was also the end of long stretch of above freezing weather, the second longest stretch in December history.

The wind turned west late yesterday and ushered in much cooler air. Take a look at the temperature and wind conditions the last 24 hours:

Temperatures are expected to stay chilly through the first half of the weekend as well.  And since we've now fallen below 32° and should see cooler air stick around for a while, perhaps snowy weather is not far behind.  We are watching three minor weather systems that will impact the area over the next week.

Will it be enough for a "White Christmas?"

At this point it doesn't look very likely. A few snow showers may grace the area Friday evening, but the chance for accumulating snow will be very low. We also have the chance for a wintry mix early Monday and again on Christmas Eve, but with rain mixing in to both systems, the chance for an inch of snow to stick on the ground through Christmas is about ten percent.

As a side note: Over the last ten years Milwaukee has had a Brown Christmas four times, 2014, 2011, 2010, and 2006. On average, we have between a 50 to 60 percent chance of a White Christmas. There's still time for these weather systems to change and evolve, so we'll keep a close watch on snow chances leading up to the holiday!

I'm meteorologist Rebecca Schuld

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