Snow!? 10-day forecast shows a chance in Raleigh next week. Here’s when it could happen
While Triangle residents may be dreaming of a white Christmas, some weather forecasts have been predicting a chance of snow ahead of the holiday.
It’s a very slight chance, though, according to the sources that offer long-term forecasts.
Forecasts that show chance of snow
We reported on Friday, Dec. 13, that The Weather Channel’s 10-day forecast said there was an 8% chance of snow the night of Saturday, Dec. 21, and a 7% chance Sunday, Dec. 22 in Raleigh. As of Monday, Dec. 16, the snow chances on Saturday have disappeared, and there is a 1% chance of snow the evening of Dec. 22.
On Dec. 13, Weather Underground’s 10-day forecast showed an 8% chance of precipitation the evening of Dec. 21, when the low temperature was expected to be 23 degrees. As of Dec. 16, the chance of precipitation Saturday night disappeared.
National Weather Service forecast
The National Weather Service does not do long-term forecasting because of low reliability, so the Raleigh Forecast Office was unable to provide any weather predictions for Dec. 21 to The News & Observer on a Dec. 13 call.
“There are some computer models that might indicate snow that far out,” said NWS Raleigh meteorologist Gail Hartfield.
But the morning of Dec. 13, the NWS could only provide a forecast through Thursday, Dec. 19.
“The predictability of a snow event in this area in particular out that far is pretty low,” Hartfield said. “So we don’t want to hang on to any one computer model out that far.”
What if we hear thunder?
Hearing thunder during winter doesn’t mean that snow will soon follow, The N&O reported recently, after many in the Triangle heard thunder Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Meteorologists previously told The N&O that the thunder could indicate a cold front, but not necessarily precipitation, is on the way.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 11:01 AM.
