Quelle Surprise?

The day before yesterday the forecast was for a low of -3C this morning (Saturday). Then last night they were saying 0C. Turns out we got down -2.6 this morning and even had a windchill as low as -4C over night!

The cloud cover will keep a lid on any daytime heating so we have a real possibility for some flurries this afternoon and into this evening and night as the big frontal system sweeps in.

It’s already on the North Island.

The question will be how much we warm up, how heavy the precipitation is (which will initially cool us down and force snowfall) and when any chance of snow disappears.

I’m not going to make any predictions… but I would definitely be aware of the possibility of snow on the roads.

Even more reason to keep the local Taxi cabs in mind, buses, and designated drivers in your back pocket tonight as you celebrate.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here’s hoping for a white New Year! :D

That about sums it up!

On the plus side, if we didn’t get this last shot of rain over the past week we would have likely had our driest December ever. I’m pretty sure that will be the story for the month from the weather types next week.

I’ll be putting together a look back for the year if I can. And maybe a look ahead. The AVTimes also phoned me for a chat about the weather this past year and next.

The most notable change will be switching from La Nina to El Nino conditions in the tropical Pacific. That will certainly have an effect on our weather next summer, fall and winter.

Shorter term, don’t count out the “coldest winter” prognostications. The first 3 weeks of December were certainly colder than normal, and mid-January to February are shaping up to go cold. We’ll just have to see if that also equals snow.