Frigid starts in Philadelphia on Monday, wintry mix possible on Christmas Eve. Here’s the prediction.

Prepare for the coldest start yet this season, with clear skies through Monday morning and lows in the single digits. That includes the city of Philadelphia, with areas to the north and west closer to zero! The Poconos’ highest elevations may start with freezing temperatures Monday morning!

While we probably won’t reach the record low of 7 degrees set in 1989, it’s worth watching. Only twice in the past twenty years have we had such a low temperature so early in the season. The last time was on December 23, 2022 when the mercury reached 9 degrees, and on December 20, 2004 we dropped to 10 degrees.

Highs will be around freezing Monday afternoon under partly skies, with clouds slowly increasing as we move into the afternoon and evening.

Make sure your pets have a warm and dry place, preferably indoors. They are no more accustomed to the frigid Arctic air than we are, and the water dishes will quickly freeze if not heated.

Skies will be cloudy on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, with a brief wintry mix possible in the early morning hours. A clipper system will pass from west to east and may bring a brief period of snow (likely mixed with some rain in the city and on the Jersey Shore). It won’t be around all day, but if it passes, snow/mix could have local impacts during that time.

Stay informed about the weather and keep up to date with the forecast when you head out. Highs will still be cold, with a high near 40 degrees; the normal maximum temperature is 44 degrees.

Nothing will gather enough to give us one white christmasalthough. That is defined as an inch or more on the ground on Christmas morning. (Sorry, kids!)

Highs will reach 40 under partly sunny skies on Christmas Day on Wednesday. Hanukkah starts Wednesday evening with partly cloudy skies.

Thursday is Kwanzaa, and it will be mostly sunny and seasonal around 40 degrees.

Looking ahead to the last weekend of 2024, temperatures will rise back into the upper 40s and even 50s by Sunday, with some normal showers possible late into the weekend.

Here is your 7 day weather forecast

Monday: Still very cold. High 31, low 11.

Tuesday: Morning wintry mix. High 40, low 24.

Wednesday: Dry Christmas Day. High 40, low 27.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. High 38, low 27.

Friday: Increasing cloud cover. High 44, low 25.

Saturday: Showers, maybe a flake? High 47, low 30.

Sunday: Chance of showers. High 56, low 37.