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Good Morning Upstate Snow Nation. Since Thanksgiving Day, we have been doing nothing but going crazy with accumulation maps after accumulation maps after a foot here after 2 foot there after all kinds of snow and cold! This has been BETTER than December 2018. Seriously it has been. If anything, I will call this the best December in 25 years! Not since 2000 have I seen December start and be so consistent as this. And also, it just happens that, we are nearly identical to December 2000 on our Top 10 Coldest Decembers on record. We have not hit that once in over 6 years. That is the longest streak in our history. I want it to end NOW! THIS MONTH! Because I see more warmth than cold coming as I look out years ahead. Seriously I do. I am sorry, I don’t want to be a downer, but it is what it is.

The next few days will be just fine. Staying cold today. Tomorrow it does warm however there will be some snow showers going by across northern NY. Little accumulation if anything but since it showed it I thought I would too. In the lower elevations we hit at least 40 tomorrow. It has been weeks since we have been able to say that. But it is going to.

Thursday Overnight and into Friday Morning is the storm I am worried about. I will see for sure on the high resolution 3k NAM later today, but just looking at the NAM and ECMWF, I am not liking what I am seeing. It could be worse. Trust me at times it has been! But we will still see a decent amount of rain. Not a record amount. But more than enough to wet the ground! Looking at around 1/2 inch to 1″ for areas east of I-81 with 1 to 1.5″ in the higher elevations. 1/4 to 1/2 inch for areas west of I-81. This will take down the snowpack, cause settling and compaction. All of the big snowfalls and snowdrifts you see out there, will reset somewhat after this event.

The weekend sees a return to snow showers and some lake effect snow. Still too far out to tell exactly how far and widespread this will be or how much in terms of accumulations. Yet. I am starting to get some ideas though. The part I am liking is the fact that after this brief thaw, it is now looking more likely that it will stay this way through Christmas. Don’t take that to the bank yet. We have over a week to go. Just know what I am looking at here. Tons of deep cold just to our north and east. Tons of warmth to our south and west. BATTLE ZONE. Just pretend today.

If you have the chance to get some early season rides and smiles on, DO IT TODAY OR TOMORROW! Thursday and especially Friday will be much worse for it across the North Country, Tug Hill and the Adirondacks. GET OUT NOW!