We enjoyed a break from the unsettled weather pattern we’ve been dealing with lately as some drier air worked into the region, even though it won’t hang around long. It was nice to see a return of some sunshine through Tuesday with temperatures pretty comfortable for the middle part of December. Afternoon highs manage to work back into the mid-50s in most spots, which is roughly degrees above average for this time of the year. Hopefully you enjoyed the dry day because more rain is set to quickly return into Wednesday. A wave of low pressure will slide into the commonwealth from the west into the early hours of Wednesday ramping our rain chances up once again. The same frontal system that moved through Monday will work back to the north as a warm front, aiding in the development of widespread showers and even a few thunderstorms across the region. This does appear to be a fast moving system overall so the majority of the rain will fall during the morning hours so expect a wet commute on Wednesday morning. Rainfall totals could be in the 1″ plus range depending on where the band of heavier rain sets up with a bit less or more depending on location. Drier air will begin to work in during the afternoon along with some cooler air although temperatures should top out in the mid-50s early ( upper 40s north and low 60s south so expect a temperature gradient) before a northwest wind begins to cool things down late across the board. Another dry day is on the way for Thursday but it will be noticeably cooler as afternoon highs back off into the low 40s, which is a few degrees below average. A fast moving clipper system will dive in from the northwest as we close out the week bringing clouds and the potential for a few rain and/or snow showers. The bulk of the moisture will be closer to the main surface low over the Great Lakes so anything that falls will be minimal and have little to no impact. Afternoon highs should be in the upper 30s to low 40s so there isn’t a big concern about freezing precipitation. There will be a reinforcing shot of colder air behind this system so it will definitely feel like a change of seasons as the Winter Solstice occurs at 4:20 AM Eastern time Saturday morning. Look for a cold and dry weekend with afternoon highs in the mid-30s. Rolling toward the Christmas holiday, the area of high pressure from the weekend will slide to the east allowing for a return flow from the southwest on Monday. This will mean a big jump in afternoon highs as temperatures surge into the mid-40s on Monday. Above average temperatures are expected for Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day with highs into the 50s. The data is showing the possibility of another system moving into the area late Tuesday and into Wednesday so we could be looking at a wet Christmas instead of a white Christmas this year. ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST TUESDAY NIGHT: Clouds increase with rain returning…slowly rising temps. Lows in the mid-40s early. WEDNESDAY: Occasional rain, cooler late. Highs in the mid-50s, falling late. WEDNESDAY NIGHT: A few clouds and colder. Lows in the upper-20s and low-30s. Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: ABC 36, ABC 36 News Now, ABC 36 Storm Team Forecast, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, Cooler temperatures, damp weather, December, steady rain, unsettled weather pattern, Winter Solstice