Record-breaking warm temperatures with elevated fire danger are in the Dallas-Fort Worth forecast for Wednesday, followed by a cold front bringing wind chills in the teens Thursday morning.
And once that passes, forecasters will be eyeing a chance of wintry precipitation around the holiday. Nobody is ready to say there'll be a White Christmas but it will bear watching for the next week."There are a number of factors we'll have to watch - how cold temperatures get on Christmas Day and where the upper-level storm system tracks," said National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Huckaby. "Right now, the models give different storm tracks. Even 100 miles can make an enormous difference."But before anyone has to worry about frozen precipitation, there will be more spring-like weather through late Wednesday.Highs were expected to reach the mid-70s Tuesday. On Wednesday it should reach the upper 70s or higher, easily breaking that date's record of 73.Along with warm temperatures will be high winds and low humidity, bringing a fire threat west of Fort Worth.Late Wednesday, a cold front will blow into the area, dropping wind chills into the 20s locally and the teens outside of the immediate DFW area."Certainly after a warm December day on Wednesday, it will be quite a shock if people aren't paying attention," Huckaby said.But the only freezing temperatures this week will likely occur on Friday morningFor those traveling for the holiday, weather conditions should be good in most directions through Christmas Eve.It's still a week away but forecasters are seeing a chance of precipitation and cooler temperatures around Christmas."Certainly, the timing of this is something we want to watch pretty closely," Huckaby said. "Right now, it looks like we'll get a reinforcing cold front on Christmas Day and any chance of wintry precipitation would be late in the day or on Wednesday. We will certainly watch that but a week out a lot could change."Bill Hanna, (817) 390-7698Twitter: @fwhannaHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
