(WXYZ) — Snow and rain have been hard to come by since Dec. 1 (Meteorological Winter), but it appears that's about to change. A mid-week storm is making its way across the country causing blizzard-like conditions in the northwest and Northern Plains, while causing severe weather in the South.
Metro Detroit will also be impacted by this storm but not as severely.
We're mentioning this storm because it marks the start of an overall pattern change heading into the second half of December. Behind this storm, colder air will flow into the Midwest and Great Lakes, leading to below average temps by this weekend and beyond. This new pattern will increase our chances for snow around the holidays.
North Atlantic Oscillation
A key driver for this active winter weather is the NAO or North Atlantic Oscillation. When it's "negative" this supports an active storm track and allows colder air masses to move south. The NAO has been negative for some time with minimal impacts on our weather, but it appears that will change next week.
What Does this Mean for a White Christmas?
Simply put, it increases our chances. The colder air will be available for snow while a large storm is moving across the country. Unfortunately, it's too early to tell which side of that storm we'll be on, but stay tuned if you have travel plans because the weather will be active around Christmas.
Check out the Euro Model vs American:
Both see the storm forming but places it in different locations.
Stay with WXYZ-TV and WXYZ.com for updates as we get closer to the holidays.
Detroit weather 7-day forecast
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Twitter: Dave Rexroth , Hally Vogel , Kevin Jeanes
