Christmas Forecast: Rain and Fog Are Coming to Town, Could Slow Down Holiday Travelers

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, you may end up being disappointed.

Accuweather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson says two storms are taking shape that will blow through the area between now and Christmas, but neither one is expected to bring snow to State College.

“Temperatures are actually going to be very mild,” Anderson says. “On Wednesday, they’ll probably be in the upper 40’s during the day, and then close to 40 again on Christmas day.”

The first storm is expected to bring rain showers to the area on Tuesday night. Anderson says this storm will come in from the Midwest, and will bring less than half an inch of rain. The sequel storm is expected to be a little more intense, bringing up to three-fourths of an inch of rain between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. 

“The rain and probably some fog could be an issue for anyone traveling Christmas Eve,” Anderson says. “There could be reduced visibility, so travel will be a little slower than usual – but it could be a lot worse.”

He says high-altitude areas in the western part of Pennsylvania could see snow, but temperatures across most of the state will be too warm for anything but rain. While State College likely won’t see enough precipitation to cause flooding, anyone heading east will run into the heavier side of storm. Anderson says that towns closer to coast, including Philadelphia, might see some flooding.

Temperatures will drop once the rain clears up, which might lead to some scattered flurries late on Christmas day. Even if these flurries come though, Anderson doubts they’ll have enough heft to coat the ground.

“From there, it looks dry into the start of the weekend, and we may even see some sun,” Anderson says. “Twenty of the last 22 days have been cloudy here in State College.”

He adds that another storm is shaping up to hit the area sometime next week, but that different models are predicting different paths and different kinds of precipitation. Anderson says “it’s a little far out to be sure of the details,” but says that this will be one of numerous storms in an active winter season.

“There will be storms cutting across the country,” Anderson says. “We’ll have more opportunities for snow over the next couple weeks.”

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