Highs to Kick Off Christmas Week Feel Like Late-November

Before we jump into the forecast, I'd like to welcome you all to the first day of winter! That's right! The winter solstice occurred at 4:02 CDT this morning. This marks the moment when the sun's rays are focused directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. That explains why the southern hemisphere is jumping into their summer months, while we jump into our winter months. Today marks the shortest day of the year, producing 9 hours and 5 minutes of daylight. What does that mean? Days from here on out will be getting longer and longer. Temperatures go on a big swing into the Christmas holiday, going from well-above average to well-below average.

While you were asleep or just beginning to prepare for your day, a weak disturbance brought a thin band of rain and snow to the Stateline. What was to be expected was just enough to bring slick conditions for those heading out for the morning commute. However, that was not the case. Yes, our radar was picking up on the precipitation higher up in the atmosphere. But none of it was making it to the ground. Why? Because the air near the surface was very dry, causing any precipitation to evaporate before reaching the surface. This ended up making for a quiet start to our day, with even a few peeks of sunshine making an appearance. 

Even though this morning was quiet, this weak disturbance will play a key role into the forecast for the rest of our Monday. Hi-res models were consistent in showing a swath of moisture tracking in by the late morning and mid-day hours, turning skies mostly cloudy once again. The surface pressure, in between this low and a high pressure system over the southern plains, will tighten up, resulting in very strong wind gusts. Southerly winds this morning will shift to the west-northwest by the afternoon, with gusts approaching 35 to 40 mph at times. Winds these strong will make for difficult traveling conditions, especially on north and south roadways. Take extra caution and make sure to watch out for high-profile vehicles. That wind should also bring our high temperatures back in the low 40s this afternoon, which is typically what we see at the end of November. Not on the first day of winter.

The day has arrived! Not only is it the first day of winter, but it's also the evening where we are able to witness a once in a lifetime astronomical spectacle. The Planets Jupiter and Saturn will make their closest approach in their orbits around the sun in nearly 800 years. All you have to do is take a look at the southwest sky shortly after sunset this evening and you'll be able to witness this conjunction. Or will we? For the Stateline, it may be a bit difficult to see this event at first thanks to cloudy skies. But as a ridge of high pressure slowly approaches the region, clouds will give way to more clearing late in the evening and into the overnight hours. However, the more west you live in the Stateline, the less you will have to deal with cloud cover blocking your view.