Changing weather pattern in mid-December
December is following in November’s footsteps with dry weather persisting for the first week of the month. We’ve only officially picked up 6 hundredths of an inch of rain so far and there is no measurable rain or snow in sight through next week. As a result, our abnormally dry conditions and drought continue to expand. The latest Drought Monitor shows the severe drought ( in orange) has expanded in southeastern Missouri while mid-Missouri has pockets of moderate drought.
The dry, cold pattern continues as we see the jet stream dive south ahead of a blocking ridge of high pressure on the west coast. This pattern produces warm, dry weather in the west but frequent hits of cold air east of the Rockies which we have been feeling. With little moisture feeding into these Canadian fronts, it is unlikely to see much precipitation until they get far enough south to pick up moisture from the Gulf or Pacific.
It looks like this pattern will start to flatten out starting around the 16th turning to a more west to southwesterly flow aloft. This will cause temperatures to be milder and give us a better chance of rain or snow as storm systems can dig farther south.
It is still too early to determine if we’ll see rain or snow but forecast models are hinting at storm systems moving through the central U.S. around the 17th to 23rd. The position will determine what type of precipitation they will bring us. The Stormtrack weather team will continue to watch the changing pattern and let you know of the changes here in the Insider Blog and on ABC17 News.
