THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 23, 1994 TAG: 9412230488
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 157 lines
It will be a green Christmas in much of the nation, especially in the East, thanks to unseasonably warm weather.
And if your idea of a good holiday is sweating on a sunny beach, head for Puerto Rico, where a record-setting heat wave is pushing temperatures into the 90s.
It's not that warm in the Lower 48, but it will be unseasonably mild. And a major coastal storm expected to move into New England by Sunday could bring snow-melting rains to much of the Northeast.
If you're looking for snow flurries to make for a perfect Christmas Day, head for Cleveland, Salt Lake City or - if you don't want to travel far - West Virginia and maybe even Roanoke.
As the coastal storm departs the mid-Atlantic region, it's expected to pull cold air south from Canada. That means lingering precipitation trailing the storm could fall as snow in the mountains of the Virginias this weekend.
Travelers can expect problems in the Northeast through the weekend. Otherwise, much of the nation will be under the influence of a huge high pressure system.
Here are the holiday forecasts for selected travel cities:
Our area:
Norfolk - Today: Continued windy with a 70 percent chance of rain. High in the lower 50s. Dangerous surf and beach erosion to continue. Northeast winds 35 to 50 mph, diminishing during the afternoon.
Christmas weekend: Cloudy and windy with a chance of rain through Sunday night. Clearing and breezy Monday. Lows 40 to 45; highs in mid 50s.
Richmond - Today: Cloudy and breezy with a 70 percent chance of rain. High near 50. North winds 15 to 25 mph.
Christmas weekend: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of rain through Sunday night. Clearing and breezy Monday. Lows near 40; highs near 50.
Roanoke - Today: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain. High in the upper 40s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Christmas weekend: Cloudy with a chance of rain through Sunday night. Snow mixed with rain over higher elevations Saturday and Sunday nights. Monday, clearing and breezy. Lows 35 to 40. Highs in 40s.
Outer Banks - Today: Continued windy with rain. High 55 to 60. Chance of rain 90 percent. Coastal flooding and beach erosion likely.
Christmas weekend: Chance of rain Saturday. Decreasing cloudiness Sunday. Partly cloudy Monday. Lows in the 40s; highs in the 50s.
Raleigh - Today: Mostly cloudy and breezy with a good chance of rain. High near 50. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Christmas weekend: Chance of rain Saturday. Decreasing cloudiness Sunday. Partly cloudy Monday. Lows 35 to 40; highs in the 50s.
Charlotte - Today: Mostly cloudy and breezy with a chance of rain. Low 40 to 45. High in the mid-50s. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Christmas weekend: Chance of rain Saturday. Decreasing cloudiness Sunday. Partly cloudy Monday. Lows 35 to 40; highs 45 to 50.
Elsewhere
Atlanta - Today: Mostly cloudy. High in the mid-50s. North to northwest winds, 15 to 20 mph and gusty.
Christmas weekend: Mostly cloudy Saturday. Partly cloudy Sunday and Monday. Lows in the 30s; highs in the 50s.
Boston - Today: Cloudy, becoming windy with chance of rain in the afternoon. High in the mid-40s. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Christmas weekend: Rain Saturday. Occasional rain Sunday. Lows in the 30s; highs in the 40s.
Buffalo - Today: Becoming mostly cloudy. Highs 40 to 45.
Christmas weekend: Mostly cloudy Saturday and Christmas Day. Lows 30 to 35 highs 40 to 45.
Chicago - Today: Partly cloudy. High near 40.
Christmas weekend: Dry. Highs in the 40s; lows in the lower 30s.
Cleveland - Today: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Brisk and a bit cooler with the high 40 to 45. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Christmas weekend: A chance of rain or snow Saturday. Fair Sunday and Monday. Lows 30 to 35; highs 35 to 40 Saturday and 40 to 45 Sunday and Monday.
Dallas/Fort Worth - Today: Partly cloudy with a high in the lower 60s. North winds, 5 to 10 mph.
Christmas weekend: Partly cloudy and mild Saturday and Sunday. Increasing cloudiness with a chance of rain Monday. Lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s; highs in the 50s.
Denver - Today: Partly cloudy. High 55 to 60.
Christmas weekend: Dry. Lows 20s; highs 45 to 55.
Des Moines - Today: Partly sunny and mild. High in the middle 40s. Variable winds, 5 to 10 mph.
Christmas weekend: Mild with no precipitation. Lows in the 30s; highs mainly in the 40s.
Houston - Today: Partly cloudy and a bit warmer with a high in the lower 60s. North winds around 10 mph.
Christmas weekend: Partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday. A slight chance of rain Saturday. Increasing cloudiness with a chance of rain Monday. Lows in the lower to mid 40s; highs near 60.
Indianapolis - Today: Partly sunny. Continued mild. High in the lower 40s.
Christmas weekend: Mostly clear and mild. Lows in the lower to middle 30s; highs in the lower to middle 40s.
Los Angeles - Today: Patchy, early-morning low clouds and fog. Otherwise, mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s.
Christmas weekend: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain Saturday. Scattered showers Sunday. Lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s; highs in the lower to mid-60s.
Miami - Today: Mostly sunny and breezy. High in the lower to mid-70s. Wind northwest 15 to 20 mph.
Christmas weekend: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s; highs in the mid-70s.
Nashville - Today: Mostly cloudy. High in the lower 50s. North winds, 10 to 15 mph.
Christmas weekend: Partly cloudy. Lows in the middle 30s; highs in the middle 50s.
New York City - Today: Windy with rain likely. High around 50. Chance of rain 70 percent.
Christmas weekend: Windy with a good chance of rain Saturday. A chance of showers Sunday. Lows 40 to 45; highs 45 to 50.
Philadelphia - Today: Cloudy and windy with a 70 percent chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40s. North winds 15 to 25 mph.
Christmas weekend: Chance of showers Saturday and Sunday. Mostly cloudy Monday. Lows around 40; highs in the upper 40s.
Phoenix - Today: Variable clouds with a few showers; breezy.
Christmas weekend: Dry Saturday. Increasing cloudiness Sunday with a chance of showers developing and continuing Monday. Lows from the mid-30s into the 40s; highs Saturday near 70, lowering on Sunday and Monday into the lower 60s.
Pittsburgh - Today: Cloudy. High 40 to 45.
Christmas weekend: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of rain Saturday. Low 30 to 35. High 40 to 45. Cloudy with a chance of rain or flurries Monday. Low 30 to 35. High in the low 40s.
Salt Lake City - Today: Mostly cloudy. Patchy morning fog.
Christmas weekend: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain or snow. Highs 30 to 40. Lows 15 to 25.
San Juan - Today: Record-breaking high temperatures possible. Mostly sunny and hot. High 90 to 95. Wind southeast 15 to 20 mph and gusty.
Christmas weekend: Warm with partly cloudy skies. Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly west. Lows 65 to 70; highs 90 to 95.
San Francisco - Today: Areas of morning fog, lingering in the north and East Bay valleys. Otherwise, increasing clouds north of San Jose and mostly sunny elsewhere. A slight chance of rain north of Petaluma in the afternoon. Highs in the mid-40s in fog-persistent valleys, to the low 60s at the coast.
Christmas weekend: Areas of night and morning valley fog. Otherwise, rain likely Saturday. A chance of showers Sunday and fair Monday. Lows in the upper 30s and 40s; highs in the 50s to low 60s.
Seattle - Today: Rain likely. Highs in the upper 40s.
Christmas weekend: Showers Saturday. Areas of fog and low clouds, otherwise dry Monday. Lows in the mid- and upper 30s; highs in the 40s.
St. Louis - Today: Variable cloudiness. High near 50. North winds, 5 to 10 mph.
Christmas weekend: Partly cloudy. Low in the upper 30s. Mild with the high in the mid- to upper 50s.
St. Paul - Today: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.
Christmas weekend: Mild with little or no precipitation.
Washington, D.C. - Today: Cloudy and breezy with a 70 percent chance of rain. High near 50. North winds 15 to 25 mph.
Christmas weekend: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of rain through Sunday night. Clearing and breezy Monday. Lows near 40; highs in mid- to upper 40s to near 50 Monday.
Wichita - Today: Sunny and continued mild. High in the upper 50s.
Christmas weekend: Dry and continued mild. Lows around 30. Highs in the 50s. by CNB