❄️ Winter is coming (or is it?)

Happy Monday, Boston.

🚃 Good news! The Green Line extension to Medford officially opened this morning. You can now travel from Mission Hill to Medford on the E Branch as much as your heart desires.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• A rough day on the Orange Line

• Youth homelessness on the decline

• The win heard ’round Revere

Up first…

WEATHER

What to expect this winter in Boston

Greater Boston got its first snow of the season last night: an hors d'oeuvre-sized dusting of about one inch. Child’s play.

But now that we finally have the first snow under our belts (it did come a little later than usual, after all), it’s time to get prepped on what kind of winter we’re in for.

TL;DR: It’s kind of a gamble.

“Looking ahead into the next couple weeks, the odds tilt toward below normal temps moving into the holiday period,” said Andrew Loconto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. This week will see highs in the 30s with lows in the teens and 20s.

But when you look at the winter season as a whole, “the odds sort of favor a tilt towards above normal temperatures.” This comes as no surprise as winters across the country are getting warmer, especially in New England.

However, warmer temperatures ≠ less snow. Remember the winter of 2015? I prefer not to either. We actually had a warm stretch right before snowmageddon struck, and then everything flipped around late January when it felt like it never stopped snowing. Boston broke its all-time record for snowfall that winter with 110.3 inches.

And ever since that winter, the National Weather Service in Norton likes to take winter on a week-by-week basis.

“The tenor and the character of a winter can really change every one to two weeks,” Loconto said. But as of now, there’s no indication we’re in for an abnormally snowy winter. Boston typically averages about 14.43 inches in January, 14.4 inches in February, and 9.0 inches in March.

Are we going to have a White Christmas? Loconto said it’s still too early to tell. But officially, a White Christmas is when there’s at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning.

You’ll just have to wait and see.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🚇 The Orange Line had a rough weekend. The drama started early Saturday morning when a train lost power for unknown reasons, causing 100 passengers to be escorted along the tracks to the nearest station. The power problems continued as service between Wellington and Back Bay was suspended for most of the morning (it wasn’t the only suspension, either). Riders said they also received mixed messages from the MBTA on everything from length of delays to where to catch a shuttle bus. Just another chapter in the Orange Line’s endless saga of issues.

❤️ Youth homelessness in Boston dropped 44% since 2019, according to Mayor Wu’s office. The $4.7 million in federal funding the city received three years ago to create housing for homeless youth seems to have paid off. Boston has added 277 housing units since then, housing more than 500 youths, an increase from just 40 units when the initiative first launched. The city estimated that about 325 people under 24 were living in shelters or on the street in 2019; that number dropped to 106 this month.

🦠 An early flu season is hitting Mass. hard. If you feel like everyone around you is sick, you’re not imagining things.5,462 new flu cases were recorded in the state last week, nearly double from the week prior and significantly more than at this time in the last three years. Flu infection rates have been relatively tame over the last few years thanks to masks and social distancing. But, as fewer folks take those precautions, flu infections have spread unchecked (you can still get your flu shot for free at these locations).

12 DAYS OF THE B-SIDE

Get out of the house: Holiday edition

🕯️ Kick off Hanukkah celebrations at the MFA with one-of-a-kind menorah artwork from a local artist. Plus, catch live music, artist talks, and a community candle lighting. The event is included with general admission. Tickets are $27. | Thursday, Dec. 15, 5 to 10 p.m.

🧊Chill out at the Snowflake Crossing ice festival in Downtown Crossing. You can find carolers, performances, and free perks among the ice sculptures. FREE | Friday, Dec. 16, 12 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

🎭 Celebrate Kwanzaa at Roxbury Community College with ‘TAFUTA!,’ a play that blends music, dance, and poetry to tell the story of a child’s search for the meaning of the holiday. Tickets are $25. | Saturday, Dec. 17, 3 p.m.

🕎 Light up the largest menorah in New England in Copley Square on the first night of Hanukkah. FREE | Sunday, Dec. 18, 4 p.m.

🎶 Sing your favorite tunes at the Regent Theatre’s Sound of Music Sing-A-Long event in Arlington. Tickets start at $15. | Monday, Dec. 26 through Thursday, Dec. 29, event times vary

ONE LAST THING

The win heard ’round Revere

Local Moroccan soccer fans celebrated their team’s historic World Cup win over Portugal on Revere Beach on Saturday, waving their nation’s flag and honking car horns with excitement. Fans previously shut down a portion of Route 1A following Morocco’s Dec. 6 win over Spain.

Moroccans make up an estimated 10% of Revere’s population.

Next up: Morocco takes on France this Wednesday at 2 p.m.

🐟 Thanks for reading! Katie and I tried out Pescador last Friday, a new restaurant in Kenmore. It’s kind of a splurge, but a definitely worthy one. Take a peek at their menu here. If you go, you MUST try the Oysters Asada.

💃 Keep up with other B-Side tomfoolery on IG, TikTok, and Twitter @BostonBSide. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].