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Hopes of a white Christmas appear slim

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Fresh Palate employee Carly Zolnierek spreads some salt near the entrance of the Center Building on Wednesday. The area received a dash of snow recently, but it is expected to melt and with no snow in the forecast, it is likely the area will miss out on a white Christmas.

ALPENA — Residents of Northeast Michigan dreaming of a white Christmas may instead receive gloomy and wet holidays on Friday and Saturday.

Forecasts from the National Weather Service predict overcast skies with rain for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with temperatures above freezing making snowfall seem unlikely and the snow on the ground likely to dissipate.

The National Weather Service says the Alpena area has a white Christmas 80 percent of the time, but, if the forecast holds, that may not be in the cards this year.

The extended forecast is predicting a green New Year’s holiday, too, although the forecast could change as 2022 approaches.

Meteorologist Dan Cornish, who works in the NWS Gaylord post, said the Alpena area may receive a dusting of snow on Wednesday or Thursday, but, more than likely, the snow will be gone before Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

“You guys are going to get into the upper thirties both days, so it looks like it will be more wet than snowy,” he said. “The warmth will also eat away at your snowpack by Christmas Day, so, unfortunately, it isn’t looking good for a white Christmas in your area of the state.”

Cornish said holiday travelers could experience wet roads, but he said temperatures, even at night and early morning, should remain above freezing, making ice on the roadway unlikely.

“It isn’t a lot of rain, and, although they could drop close to freezing, I don’t think you quite get there,” he said. “Most of the cold and snow will be north of the Mackinac Bridge.”

As people return to work Monday, the weather is expected to begin to change, and some small amounts of snow and rain could impact the area, Cornish said. He said the forecast could change, but as of now, there seems like little chance that there will be any significant snow events in the near future.

“The week after Christmas is shaping up to be more active and we might see some snow, rain or freezing rain,” he said. “How significant that precipitation will be is hard to tell right now, but we’re not seeing anything real threatening looming.”

For the balance of the winter, the National Weather Service’s outlook map, issued Dec.16, shows Northeast Michigan has about a 40% chance to be slightly above normal temperatures through April, but it is projected to be wet, as the long-range predictions say there is about a 60% chance of above-average precipitation.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.

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