A Not-So-White Christmas: Rain In The Forecast For RI

An incoming nor'easter will make for a wet Christmas, but not a white Christmas — in fact, quite the opposite.

A wet, warm and windy weather system is expected to brush away much of the remaining snow that accumulated over the last several days, ruining the chances for snow on the ground on Christmas morning.

The unusually warm weather starts Thursday, when temperatures are expected to peak near 50 degrees. Showers are expected to move in starting Thursday night, along with high winds across the state. The weather is only expected to get warmer Christmas morning, with highs close to 60 degrees.

The high winds, up to 55 mph, prompted the National Weather Service to issue a high wind watch across the state from 10 p.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. Friday.

The warm weather isn't expected to stick around long, as a cold front in the in forecast for the weekend. Temperatures are expected to plummet back to seasonable temperatures in the mid-30s in the days to follow.

Here's a look at the latest forecast for Rhode Island from the National Weather Service.

Wednesday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 40. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the evening.

Christmas Eve
Cloudy, with a high near 56. South wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Christmas Eve Night
Showers, mainly after 10 p.m. Low around 49. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Christmas Day
Showers, mainly before 5 p.m. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 57. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 14 to 19 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Friday Night
A chance of showers, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. West wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 33. West wind 9 to 11 mph.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind around 8 mph.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 38. West wind around 7 mph.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.