After a sunny Sunday, the clouds return today.
The clouds come because of approaching showers. Highs make it about eight degrees above average to the upper 40s.
By the way, we have not had a high below average this month. Looking at the forecast for the rest of December, the warmer than average weather continue.
As for this evening, a few hit or miss showers arrive. Expect a few showers tonight as lows drop to the mid 40s. The showers will end by 2 P.M. on Tuesday. Highs on Tuesday reach the mid 50s.
Then, we climb to the upper 50s on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, a few spots to the north of Harrisburg will briefly see some sun. The rest of us start out with clouds. All of us turn cloudy by the afternoon, and eventually we get some showers in the afternoon.
Expect a few showers on Thursday, as well. We'll also get highs into the mid 60s on Thursday--Christmas Eve.
We take a break from the clouds on Friday. Enjoy partly sunny skies and highs in the mid 50s.
The clouds and showers return for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Look for highs in the 50s all of those days.
In honor of the first day of winter, did you know:
The Earth is closest to the sun in the winter?
The Earth moves in an egg shape around the sun. If you think about the center of an egg, the pointy end is farthest away from the center of the egg at . The "bottom" of the egg is closer to the center of the egg. In the winter, the Earth is at the "bottom of the egg" on its orbit around the sun.
The Earth's tilt causes the seasons.
If the Earth were not tilted, we'd have "California" weather. Overall, temperatures wouldn't change much--we'd have one season.
If the Earth were titled more, our seasons would be more extreme: colder winters and hotter summers.
In the winter, the Southern Hemisphere faces the sun more than the Northern Hemisphere, so it gets the most direct sunlight.
Think of the sun as a flashlight shining on the Southern Hemisphere. The light will be most focused/centered on the Southern Hemisphere, but there will still be some light shining on the Northern Hemisphere. The more sunlight you get, the warmer you get.
In the summer, the Northern Hemisphere gets the most direct sunlight.
Winter begins at 11:48 P.M. tonight.
-Meteorologist Drew Anderson
