December 2025 OBS and Discussion

[Brian5671]

1 minute ago, qg_omega said:

lots of record cold today, do we snow tomorrow?

Too dry-probably some virga

[MANDA]

2 hours ago, EastonSN+ said:

Nice little snow event in Virginia and the Delmarva.

Most stations on this map have more snow season to date than my location.  Currently .50" on the season here.

 

[NEG NAO]

59 minutes ago, Bxstormwatcher360 said:

Good ole alberta clippers,I remember growing up as a teen in the 90's. They had a clipper coming thru every 3 to 5 days it seems. The 90's was an epic time for winter weather also tbh. 

AI Overview

 

 

 

Clipper weather refers to fast-moving winter storms, primarily the Alberta Clipper, which originate near Alberta, Canada, bringing rapid swings from cold to colder, light snow (1-3 inches), strong winds (30-50 mph), and biting wind chills as they sweep southeast across the U.S. Northern Plains and Great Lakes. While usually light, they can cause bigger snowfalls with lake-effect enhancement or if they intensify, sometimes becoming Saskatchewan Screamers or Manitoba Maulers (stronger variants). 

 

Key Types & Characteristics

• Alberta Clipper: The classic type, forming near Alberta, moving fast, bringing cold, wind, and light snow.
• Saskatchewan Screamer / Manitoba Mauler: More intense versions of clippers, often with more snow and stronger winds, developing over Saskatchewan or Manitoba. 

 

What They Bring

• Snow: Typically 1-3 inches, but can be 3-6+ inches, especially near the Great Lakes (lake-effect snow).
• Wind: Strong, gusty winds (35-50 mph) are common, leading to severe wind chills.
• Temperature: A noticeable and sharp drop in temperatures.
• Speed: Very fast-moving, often crossing regions in a day or two. 

 

How They Differ from Other Storms

• Colorado Low: Slower-moving systems that form in Colorado, often bringing much heavier, longer-lasting snow and blizzard conditions.
• Miller A/B Storms: Coastal storms that develop off the Southeast coast (Miller A) or the Gulf (Miller B), drawing significant moisture and potentially causing major Nor'easters, unlike drier clippers. 

[MANDA]

30 minutes ago, SACRUS said:

 

Cold to Hold the next 10 Days - 2 weeks

 

Surge of much below normal Dec 8 / Dec 12-14,  Dec 15-17

 

Cold look there.  No doubt about that.

[MANDA]

Overnight low of 10 here.  If I had any meaningful snow cover it would have been colder.  Just scattered trace amounts remain around here.

Coldest NWNJ icebox spots with a few degrees of zero.

[coastalplainsnowman]

14 minutes ago, NEG NAO said:

AI Overview

 

 

 

Clipper weather refers to fast-moving winter storms, primarily the Alberta Clipper, which originate near Alberta, Canada, bringing rapid swings from cold to colder, light snow (1-3 inches), strong winds (30-50 mph), and biting wind chills as they sweep southeast across the U.S. Northern Plains and Great Lakes. While usually light, they can cause bigger snowfalls with lake-effect enhancement or if they intensify, sometimes becoming Saskatchewan Screamers or Manitoba Maulers (stronger variants). 

 

Key Types & Characteristics

• Alberta Clipper: The classic type, forming near Alberta, moving fast, bringing cold, wind, and light snow.
• Saskatchewan Screamer / Manitoba Mauler: More intense versions of clippers, often with more snow and stronger winds, developing over Saskatchewan or Manitoba. 

 

What They Bring

• Snow: Typically 1-3 inches, but can be 3-6+ inches, especially near the Great Lakes (lake-effect snow).
• Wind: Strong, gusty winds (35-50 mph) are common, leading to severe wind chills.
• Temperature: A noticeable and sharp drop in temperatures.
• Speed: Very fast-moving, often crossing regions in a day or two. 

 

How They Differ from Other Storms

• Colorado Low: Slower-moving systems that form in Colorado, often bringing much heavier, longer-lasting snow and blizzard conditions.
• Miller A/B Storms: Coastal storms that develop off the Southeast coast (Miller A) or the Gulf (Miller B), drawing significant moisture and potentially causing major Nor'easters, unlike drier clippers. 

This was great - thanks for sharing.

Folks were mentioning Alberta Clippers in the 90s, but honestly I remember them as a staple of the 80s.

Those were always fun to track (and as a kid in the 80s, 'track' meant looking out for an updated 'A Look Ahead' on TWC, and tuning into the local mets at 45 past the hour.)

They might miss to the south, and they might not have big potential, but at least rain was never in the equation.  Plus, whatever did fall often stuck around awhile.

Back then - this is prior to the spoils of 2000-2018 -  a clipper whose potential was bumped up from 1-3 to 2-4 was enough to get us amped up as kids.  3-6?  Amazing.

 

[LoboLeader1]

Dropped down to -1 here in the Berks over night, currently 23F back in HPN.

[MANDA]

Snowing nicely in D.C.

https://www.earthtv.com/en/webcam/washington-dc-capitol

[PhiEaglesfan712]

The last real clipper I remember was the one on January 22, 2005. That one, of course, turned into a Nor'easter.

[lee59]

19 here this morning

[EastonSN+]

8 minutes ago, PhiEaglesfan712 said:

The last real clipper I remember was the one on January 22, 2005. That one, of course, turned into a Nor'easter.

That one and the Blizzard of 1978 were the two.

[PhiEaglesfan712]

1 hour ago, SACRUS said:

 

2002:  

 

Dec 5

 

 

2003

 

Dec 5:

 

 

2005

Dec 5

 

[MANDA]

Not bad snow coverage for December 5th. despite the bare ground from PHL up to just south of BOS.  

Will help keep the air "chilled" as is moves in from the west and northwest over the next week or two.

[snywx]

Low of 5 here 

We still have 3” of snow cover 

[MJO812]

HRRR has snow showers tonight in nyc

[jm1220]

8 minutes ago, MANDA said:

Not bad snow coverage for December 5th. despite the base ground from PHL up to just south of BOS.  

Will help keep the air "chilled" as is moves in from the west and northwest over the next week or two.

DC has 1” before NYC or BOS even has measurable. Who would’ve had that on their bingo chart in a Nina winter. 

[RU848789]

2 hours ago, NEG NAO said:

First of all - Ocean County NJ should be in the Philadelphia region - and the farther north and west counties in NY and PA should be included in a new North and West Forum IMO. Variations in the weather conditions are too great from south to north and west in that map to be included in one forum (especially during the winter months)............But like I said before we have had this discussion previously and it is what it is.......OR we can set up the forums similar to the NWS does - Upton and Mount Holly - never could understand that concept...........

There's no easy answer, although I agree that the DMA map (2nd map below) including the Lehigh Valley and Poconos seems off, as DMA's (Designated Market Areas - basically TV when it was broadcast TV in particular) are generally supposed to reflect where places get their local news/weather and I don't think most in the Lehigh Valley/Poconos are getting their local news/weather from NYC stations - thought these generally got this from Philly stations.  On the other hand the metro statistical area map (first map below) doesn't include Warren County, which seems odd, as that county is definitely NYC-focused.  

Regardless the one thing I can say is that using the NWS CWA office maps for forums would be a disaster, as those aren't keyed into where people get their local news/weather at all.  Best example of that is not having Middlesex County, which actually borders NYC, in the NYC NWS CWA - at a bare minimum any county bordering NYC ought to be in any NYC Metro weather forum (and NWS office).  

[PhiEaglesfan712]

8 minutes ago, jm1220 said:

DC has 1” before NYC or BOS even has measurable. Who would’ve had that on their bingo chart in a Nina winter. 

It might be the start of a trend. DC and Baltimore have been doing better than PHL/NYC/BOS since 2023-24. Then again, there was nowhere to go but up after the snow dearth in DC/Baltimore from 2016-17 to 2022-23.

[wdrag]

am offline til 330.  will consider NOW thread for NYC first measurable at 5,  if other models join the HRRR and EC. Uncertain ptype an T.