A busy NOAA/NWS weather watch, warning and advisory map? A major Christmas Eve storm erupts in the East today/tonight bringing severe thunderstorms to the coastal Mid-Atlantic region, high wind causing poser outages for the northern Mid-Atlantic into New England and flash flooding caused by heavy rain from Virginia to Maine. Heavy snow on the back side of the storm targets West Virginia to Ohio.

Mid-to-late summer regional soil moisture deficit in the deep layers (10-200 CM) are a key diagnostic for monitoring potential flash drought risk. If a period of 7-10 days (or more) of dry and anomalous hot weather occur over these regions a fast-emerging drought will develop.

The Pacific decadal oscillation cool phase strengthened in November. Meanwhile the warm phase of the Atlantic Multi-decadal oscillation ended last month. The -PDO pattern is not expected to last long becoming neutral in 2021 while the AMO pattern should rewarm for the 2021 North Atlantic tropical cyclone season.

The SSTA pattern is very warm. Easterly component of wind will increase the amount of moisture flowing into the developing storm. Heavy rain causing a flood risk is likely in east/northeast Virginia to southeast Maryland while well inland where temperatures stay cold over-achieving snowfalls will occur.