Updated Dec. 25, 2019 3:00 PM
While much of the East will stay dry beyond Christmas, a storm will bring a dose of rain, snow and ice to many areas before the end of the year.
After a tranquil Christmas Day, storm-free weather will continue on Thursday for cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Indianapolis which have all been dry since a trace of precipitation fell on Dec. 18.
In the Upper Midwest, cities like Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee have had nothing more than a few drops of snow or rain since the middle of the month.
"Many places in the center of the country have been hurting for rain this month," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Gresiak said.
Through Christmas Eve, Chicago had only recorded 8 percent of its normal December precipitation, and Minneapolis had only received 34 percent of its normal amount. Dry weather has kept rain amounts just as low in parts of the southern Plains as well.
An upcoming storm is expected to turn around this dry pattern, after bringing rain and snow to parts of the Southwest and Rockies.
"After bringing a swath of snow from Arizona and New Mexico to Colorado at the end of the week, snow will streak across the central and northern Plains by Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.
The speed of the storm will help to dictate how much snow accumulates across the region, although plowable snow is likely somewhere across the Midwest. This could bring slippery travel on Saturday across portions of interstates 29, 70, 80, 90 and 94.
On the southern, mild side of the storm, rain will be falling in some of those communities that need it, from Kansas and Missouri to Michigan, on Saturday.
"As the cold air wraps around behind the storm, some areas in the Midwest will have rain changing over to snow by Sunday," added Duff.
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The majority of the snow is expected in the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and across Canada during this time, although a brief period of lake-effect snow could follow the storm early next week.
By this time, the core of the rain will have moved into the Ohio Valley and the East Coast.
Depending on when the heaviest bursts of rain come down, airport delays and slowed speed on the roads could be an issue for those traveling on Sunday.
Parts of interstates 80, 81, 87 and 90, could experience downpours throughout the day, bringing reduced visibility for motorists. By the afternoon, airports in D.C., New York and Boston, as well as other parts of I-95, could have heavy enough rain to cause some delays.
The exact timing of the storm could push the period of heaviest rain to Sunday night, likely impacting fewer travelers, or even delay the rain or cause it to linger into Monday. Those heading back to work on Monday should keep a close eye on the weekend storm to be sure they leave enough time for their morning commute.
Following a stretch of dry, mild air in the region, chillier conditions are expected to filter in behind this storm. High temperatures in the 30s and 40s F will be more widespread across the Great Lakes and Northeast for the final days of 2019.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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