Monroe Storm Update: Christmas Eve Travel Will Be Difficult

The good news for Monroe motorists looking to travel on Christmas Eve is you won’t have to deal with the wintry white stuff, but unfortunately you’ll be dealing with heavy rains, gusty winds, patchy fog, and maybe even some thunder.

According to the National Weather Service, rain was to begin between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Wednesday for the entire state of Connecticut.

In reality, once the rain starts, it’s never really going to let up until sometime mid morning on Christmas Day, forecasters say.

If you have to travel on Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service recommends the earlier the better because the heaviest rain is forecast for late Wednesday, and the winds will really begin to gust, which could lead to power outages.

During the day on Christmas Eve, the high temperature is forecast to be in the mid 50s with a slight wind, and about three quarters of an inch of rain is expected to fall.

At night, winds are expected to gust to up to 20-25 miles per hour, and another three quarters of an inch is predicted. Thunder is expected on Christmas Eve as well.

The rain will end statewide between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Christmas Day but winds will gust between 20-40 miles per hour, and temperatures will plummet from a high of 58 degrees to a low of 35 on Christmas night.

WFSB 3 Meteorologist Scot Haney said 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible, with poor visibility and perhaps even a rumble of thunder. Haney predicts the storm will result in some power outages as strong wind gusts are likely.

“It’ll be over 50 [degrees],” Haney said. “So you can forget about any ice, any snow. You can forget about a white Christmas.”