Midday Musings
The storm is a done deal. As anticipated, it produced a spell of heavy snow this morning but it pales in comparison to last week's blockbuster. The final snowfall totals are in and much of the region received 6-8" with isolated totals closer to 9". Lower amounts of 3-6" are noted over Bristol and Plymouth County ranging down to under 3" near the South Coast and only an inch near and just south of the Cape Cod Canal with nothing more than a brief coating on portions of the Cape before it melted in the warmth and bout of rain that occurred. Sunshine is breaking out this afternoon as the deepening storm tracks toward the Canadian Maritimes. A gusty wind at times will blow and drift some of the fluffy snow.
Most of the forecast is unchanged from my earlier blog this morning. You can click on that one for the whole story. Essentially, after glistening moonshine and lows of 5-15 tonight, sunshine will boost the temperatures back up to 21-26 tomorrow with a cold breeze. There could be a flurry or brief burst of snow late tomorrow night into early Sunday as the arctic invasion commences and an upper air disturbance passes. There could be flurries on the Cape even Sunday afternoon as the very cold air passes across the ocean onto the Cape. Afternoon temperatures on Sunday will range from about 7-12 in Worcester County up to 12-16 in the Boston area to 16-21 over southeastern MA with a cold wind up to 15 mph. The coldest weather in about 6 years will happen Sunday night into Monday with a projected minimum in Boston of -1. The last subzero morning in the city was January 22, 2005 at -2 degrees. After reaching the middle teens Monday, the temperatures under the sprawling harsh cold high pressure system will dive down to 5 to 15 below zero in the coldest outlying lowland locations Monday night thanks to premium radiational cooling conditions.
The next storm is slated to start late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. This system is loaded with potential as it captures Gulf of Mexico moisture then runs up the coast toward New England. The stakes will be much higher because the amount of precipitable water will be much greater and the system may be moving slower. It appears that dynamics will be strong to produce copious amounts of snow, ice and rain. I reiterate that specifics are indeterminate presently because it's 5 days away but the early call is that the all snow zone could exceed a foot. Keep in mind that this is purely speculative at this time. Subsequent forecast cycles will become more defining at the beginning of the week.
Todd Gutner presents his prognosis late this afternoon or evening.
Enjoy the weekend and stay warm!
