There is hope, for those dreaming of a snow-covered Christmas. This is from the 18Z run of the Global Forecast System, and it shows a wide slice of the Northeast getting hit on the backside of a departing storm on Dec. 25. Lots could be wrong here, as this is hour 340, way beyond the traditional 128-hour reliability window. But keep your fingers crossed. It could be really lovely if it comes to pass.

It should be underlined there’s a good risk that this won’t happen, but it could. Timing is always tricky for models.

Brendan Hasenstab is special meteorology consultant to the Pelham Examiner.