December 2024 has seen a return to winter across the Eastern US with an up-and-down month of snowfall. There have been consistent light snowfall events across the Northeast but also several warm rain events that have kept the snowpack below-normal. 

At the start of January, the East will see below-normal temperatures that have a 30-60% chance of continuing through the month, except for northern New England with a 30-50% chance of above-normal temperatures. The precipitation pattern in January will see equal chances of above and below-normal precipitation, except for northern New England with a 30-50% chance of above-normal precipitation

Read on to learn more about the weather in December and the January forecast.

December 2024 Review:

It's been an active month of weather for the most part across the Eastern US. Several light snow events and brief lake effect snow events have brought good days on the slopes. There have also been several warm rain events in December, which has prevented a consistent snowpack from developing.

It seems that we are taking one step forward and two steps back in December because once we have received snow, it has not been long before that snow has been erased by warm air and rain.

Check out the OpenSnow season snow depth map from October through January 2024 and a look at the current snow depth on the ground as of January 1, 2025.

Temperatures during December were a bit of everything. Most of the East saw normal to below-normal temperatures but also a few areas saw above-normal temperatures. We saw a couple of days of very cold temperatures with highs only in the single digits.

Precipitation during December saw a bit of everything as well. The Northeast saw mostly normal to above-normal precipitation while the Mid-Atlantic saw mostly normal to below-normal precipitation.

December saw a bit of everything in terms of temperature and precipitation due to the variety of storm systems that occurred during the month. Some systems brought cold temperatures and others brought warm temperatures with localized effects of temperatures and precipitation.

January 2025 Outlook:

The outlook for January shows a 30-60% chance of below-normal temperatures for most of the Eastern US. Northwest flow will be the dominant weather to start in January, which will bring in cold air from Canada. This pattern occurred the last week of December and will continue to bring cold air into the East.

Northern New England will be the exception with a 30-50% chance of above-normal temperatures. In the middle of winter, these 'above-normal' temperatures will still be cold enough for snow to fall.

Precipitation in January will see equal chances of being above and below-normal. The exception to this is New England with a 30-50% chance of being above-normal. This will increase the chances of above-normal snowfall in New England in January. 

 

Additional confidence in snowfall during January will be associated with a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO is forecasted to be in a negative phase through the first half of January, which increases the chances of above-normal snowfall in the Eastern US.

• The NAO describes the changes in the strength of two pressure patterns in the atmosphere and can have major impacts on winter weather in the Eastern US.
• A negative NAO means a higher chance for snow and cold temperatures in the Eastern US.

2024 - 2025 Winter Updates:

Make sure to stay posted on the Mid-Atlantic and New England Daily Snows in January. Zach and Jay will be sure to give you the latest and greatest information on all things weather, snow, and slope conditions!

We forecasted a La Niña winter at the start of the 2024-2025 winter but the forecast is developing and changing. Alan Smith wrote this awesome article about this change, La Niña or La Nada? Update to the 2024-2025 Winter Forecast. La Niña is weakening, but we are still expecting below-normal temperatures this winter. 

Happy New Year and may you have a snowy winter! I will have the next monthly review at the start of February.

Zach Butler