Hello everyone!

Today will feature cold temps and breezy conditions as a shot of Arctic air moves in from the northwest. Look for high temps to range from -5 in the north to +10 along the coast. Winds will be gusty out of the NW behind yesterday’s storm, so wind chill values will become problematic especially away from the coast. Gusts over 40 mph in the mountains will bring wind chills below -30, as well as continue blowing and drifting of yesterday’s snow. Skies will be mostly cloudy up north with continuing upslope snow showers while sunny breaks will work into coastal areas due to downsloping.

Bundle up!

Jack

Hello everyone!

An amazing day of weather is forecast for much of the region today as deep tropical moisture blasts north into deep Arctic cold. The results are already evident with bands of heavy snow visible on radar imagery.

If you look closely, you’ll see a more speckled appearance to the radar near Rochester NH. That’s the fly in the ointment of today’s weather: warm air moving in aloft that will change snow over to sleet SE of the mountains.

The basic forecast idea remains similar to yesterday. The mountains are all snow with around/a little over two feet expected. The foothills will change over to sleet in the next few hours, with 12-20″ expected (more north). The coast will see enough cold air erode for freezing rain with potentially impactful ice accretion.

Note: this map shows the amount of liquid that might fall as freezing rain, *not* how much ice will actually stick to trees/power lines etc.

Freezing rain could be significant at the coast. 1″ of rain falling into a near surface layer around 15F will translate to between a quarter and a half inch of ice. That’s more than enough to cause significant disruptions if it pans out! I think some of that falls at sleet, especially W of 95. Be prepared to potentially be without power as winds crank up tomorrow and while a third of an inch of ice won’t take a tree down on its own, add 40 mph winds and it’s a much different story.

Temps today will range from 0 in the north to 20 in the south. Enjoy the storm!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A major winter storm will arrive tonight as low pressure moves up the Ohio Valley and Arctic high pressure entrenches itself to our north. Most of today we’ll be enjoying the calm before the storm as clouds overspread the area and cold dry air filters into place. Look for high temps to range from 0 in the far north to 25 in the far south.

Here’s a general top-level look at the storm’s expected evolution. Light snow develops tonight with heavy bands arriving tomorrow morning from SW to NE. Warm air works in aloft tomorrow afternoon, bringing a change to sleet and freezing rain for the coastal plain. It remains to be seen just how far NW that warmth aloft can make it, but one thing we can be certain of is that the surface will remain cold enough to avoid plain rain.

If you’re looking for a full analysis of this system, you can find it on the weather.us blog. It was written yesterday, but remains completely relevant this morning other than perhaps a few small tweaks to the snow map. If you remember the long blogs I’d write on this page ahead of big storms back in the day, you’ll be quite familiar with the style!

Generally speaking, here’s what I’d expect from this system in ME/NH.

Mountains: all snow. Mostly pure powder, some slightly denser snow but never any wet snow. 18-24″ with isolated 30″ totals in the higher terrain. Wax up those fat skis!

Foothills: all snow through Sunday midday. Possible changeover to sleet in southeastern zones Sunday afternoon after around a foot of snow. Not expecting freezing rain due to depth of near surface cold layer. Storm total snow 12-18″

Coast: snow through Sunday midday. Change to sleet Sunday afternoon, with some freezing rain possible at the shorelines. 8-16″ snow and up to 1/4″ ice in those areas that see freezing rain.

As the storm cranks up, look for winds to strengthen out of the NNE on Sunday afternoon. This will lead to blowing and drifting snow, especially in the mountains. At the coast, the wind and ice combo is never a good one, so expect some power outages, though thankfully the ice amounts expected (.1 to .25″) won’t be enough to cause crippling impacts.

Snow, sleet, and ice depart the region Sunday evening with strong NNW winds bringing in the latest shot of very cold air.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature scattered snow showers as a few weak disturbances drift overhead. The Midcoast and mountains will see the most widespread snow, with 1-3″ of accumulation. Elsewhere, a dusting at best is expected. Skies will remain mostly cloudy for the entire area through the day. High temps will range from 20 in the north to 35 in the south.

Cold air moves in tomorrow ahead of our major storm system which arrives late tomorrow night. The general forecast for around two feet remains on track. Higher amounts (up to three feet) are possible in the mountains, with lower amounts (12-18″) along the coast where a period of sleet is also possible. More details on that system in the coming days.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature morning sunshine and afternoon cloudiness as our next storm system approaches from the west. This system will be on the weaker side, an appetizer for the main course on Sunday. Highs will be on the cooler side, ranging from 5 in the north to 25 in the south.

Precip from the incoming system will arrive later tonight and continue into tomorrow morning. It appears to be on the spottier side as the system has very little moisture to work with. A general 1-3″ of snow can be expected.

The main course storm arrives Sunday with a general 1-2 feet of snow. Wax up those powdah skis and get yourself to the nearest ski mountain!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature the arrival of a strong cold front as low pressure tracks to our north. Out ahead of this front, slightly warmer air will flow north before the latest shot of polar cold arrives tonight. Look for high temps to range from 20 in the north to 35 in the south. The front will bring some clouds with it, especially in the mountains. A few snow showers are possible in the favored areas this evening as winds shift around to the northwest. Otherwise, it’s another generally quiet winter day.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature quiet weather as a weak cold front drifts slowly towards the region. That front will bring some clouds to the mountains but otherwise clear and dry conditions can be expected. High temps will range from 20 in the north to 30 in the south. Enjoy the beautiful weather!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature continued clear skies as well as slightly warmer temps as the core of the last cold shot moves off to the east. Highs will range from 15 in the north to 30 in the south with no precip expected. Enjoy the lovely weather! Our next chance of a storm arrives this weekend and tentatively looks snowy as of now.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A winter storm is developing off the East Coast today, but it will remain well south of our area. All the air rising over the Mid Atlantic will be sinking over New England, so we’ll enjoy clear skies and cold temps while high pressure builds overhead. Highs will be just a bit above what we saw the past couple days, ranging from 10 in the north to 25 in the south. Enjoy the beautiful winter weather!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A powerful area of Canadian high pressure will continue to approach the area today, meaning that we’ll keep our cold temps and breezy conditions throughout the area. Look for high temps once again ranging from 0 in the north to 20 in the south. The mountains have wrung out most of the moisture embedded within the NW flow, so look for sunnier skies and evaporating upslope flurries. NW winds will be gusting around 20-25 mph along the coast with 35-40 mph gusts in the mountains. Bundle up, winter is here!

-Jack