Douglas: Scant snow, with a thaw on the horizon

“The snow did not even whisper its way to earth, but seemed to salt the night with silence,” wrote author Dean Koontz. Snow brings out our inner child. Precipitation you can play in? I’m in.

Getting December cold without the snow is like peanut butter without jelly, Simon without Garfunkel, Travis without Taylor. Sorry. A snowstorm is a marriage of northern cold and southern moisture. Too much of either ruins the recipe. The pattern favors clippers whipping up gusty winds and occasional coatings. But big, sloppy southern storms? I don’t see any through late December.

Weather models show three minor systems between now and Dec. 25, for a total of 1 to 2 inches. We’ll be lucky to have an inch of snow on the ground Christmas at MSP. ECMWF is predicting a thaw with 30s and an outside shot at 40 degrees Dec. 24-28. I’m just the messenger.

A colder, snowier winter than last year? Yes. But that’s a low bar. At this rate much of our snow comes the latter half of winter, which seems to be a recent trend. Don’t give up just yet.