A moderate snow event will arrive from the southwest today as low pressure moves up the Ohio Valley. Strong Canadian high pressure will keep cold air locked in at the surface, but warm air should be able to move in aloft especially south of Portland. That means snow may briefly change over to sleet early this afternoon, cutting down on total accumulations. Before that though, it will be pretty steadily snowing all morning with a general 3-6″ of accumulation likely across the area. Later in the afternoon, low pressure will redevelop offshore and any sleet will change back to snow with another 2-4″ of snow expected especially closer to the coast. So when all is said and done this looks to be a solid 4-8″ event for much of the area with a few pockets of 8-12″ totals most likely in the mountains and along the coast (especially the midcoast).
Snow will taper off from west to east in the late afternoon/early evening hours.
All is quiet in our fortunate corner of the free world this morning as high pressure builds in from the north. Look for partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 10s up north and low 30s in the south. Snow will arrive from the southwest in the predawn hours tomorrow with what looks to be a general 6-10″ in the south and 3-6″ in the north. So grab what you need from the store today and while you’re at it, spare a thought, dollar, and/or letter to our representatives today on behalf of those now forced to take up arms in service of democracy in Ukraine.
Today will feature an extremely warm start, for this time of year anyway, as southwest winds push air straight from the Gulf of Mexico into our area. The warm airmass will combine with developing sunshine downwind of the mountains to push high temps into the mid 60s along most of the coastal plain. The foothills will be a bit cooler but still quite mild in the mid 50s while the mountains, socked in upslope clouds and closer to the approaching cold front, are likely to stay in the mid 40s.
The front will gradually sweep across the area from NW to SE this evening bringing a shift towards west-northwest winds and cooler temperatures. Most of the area will be back below freezing by 7 PM which means any residual moisture will begin to freeze up so watch for slick spots. That also means today during the day is a great time to chip away at your driveway glacier while it’s nice and soft. Get after it early enough in the day and the dry west winds plus bright sunshine could let things dry out before the freeze returns.
Today will feature another day of warm weather as our latest storm moves towards the Saint Lawrence Valley. That said, we do have some cold air damming which will keep temps somewhat cooler especially in the Maine foothills. Any breaks of sun this morning will be quick to disappear behind thickening clouds midday. As high pressure slips farther east and winds shift more towards the south, the wedge of cold air currently pinned against the mountains will slowly retreat. It’s age-old wisdom that this retreating cold will depart slower than guidance expects but I do feel confident that folks east of I-95 in Maine and south of Laconia/Rochester NH will get above freezing today with highs rising as far as the low 50s in the CT Valley. The foothills and mountains should remain in the cold air through today with periods of freezing drizzle possible this afternoon.
The primary batch of precipitation will arrive this evening and will fall mostly in the form of rain except for the remaining cold air wedge centered around the Maine foothills. Freezing rain is expected here, though with heavier precip rates and temps creeping slowly closer to freezing I don’t see enough accretion to cause widespread power outage issues. By around midnight, a first frontal boundary will cross the area and mix out most of the remaining cold air. Temps will rise into the 40s and 50s across the area with perhaps a few holdout spots in the mid to upper 30s. That will set the stage for an extremely warm day tomorrow with southwest winds and patchy sunshine ahead of the storm’s cold front.
Yet another storm has its sights set on the Saint Lawrence Valley this week which means we will once again be on it’s mild side. Look for southwest winds and mostly sunny skies to push temps into the upper 30s in the north and mid 50s in the south by this afternoon. Skies will be clearest in the south while the mountains and northern foothills deal with some clouds as a cold front approaches slowly from Quebec.
Not much to say this morning as high pressure slips offshore and we begin to see a bit of return flow from the southwest. Look for temps to rise into the upper 10s in the north and low 30s in the south under partly to mostly sunny skies. The thickest clouds will be up in the mountains and northern foothills.
A delightful day of weather is on the way if you ask me as a potent Arctic cold front approaches from the west. I was just recently musing about how we’ve gotten a good blizzard, some solid overrunning snow, and some bitter cold air so far this winter but we’ve been missing out on good Arctic cold frontal passages. Thankfully, Mother Nature is on it!
Ahead of the front this morning, some breaks of sun will quickly become obscured by approaching clouds as temps rise into the upper 10s up north and low 30s elsewhere, except perhaps for a few mid 30s along the Midcoast shorelines and SE NH. Light snow will break out in the mountains around lunchtime before attempting to wander towards the coast. The real action will begin around 4 PM though when a potent line of snow squalls will cross the CT river. These squalls look like the real deal with extremely heavy snow, wind gusts of 40-50+mph, and near-whiteout conditions. Much like a summertime squall line, nobody will get to enjoy these conditions for very long but while they’re ongoing it will be pretty intense. Also similar to summertime thunderstorms, these squalls will arrive quickly and conditions could go from clear to blizzard in under 5 minutes. That’s especially dangerous if you’re on the road (highways are the worst place to be in snow squalls- by the time everyone realizes they really ought to slow down, there’s already a slick half inch of snow on the ground) so plan to ride these out in a stationary position at least for the 10-15 minutes of peak conditions.
Strong westerly winds behind the squalls will lead to blowing and drifting snow, prolonging occasionally slick travel conditions through the first part of the night. Temps will also fall rapidly behind the front so whatever moisture might be on the move especially near the coast will freeze solid once again tonight.
Today will unfortunately feature very warm weather as yet another storm system moves NE on the wrong side of our area. Southwest winds and patchy sunshine this morning will push temps into the mid 40s up north and upper 50s or even low 60s in the south. Southwest winds will be rather gusty at times pushing into the 35-45mph range outside the foothills. That’ll be more than enough to notice as you head outside and could perhaps be enough for some power outages though I don’t expect major issues there. Showers will begin in the mountains later this morning before slowly expanding towards the coast after dark. Cold air will surge towards the area tomorrow morning behind a thin line of showers possibly containing a rumble or two of thunder. At any rate, our thaw will be over around this time tomorrow after a brief round of mixed precip and snow in the mountains.
Arctic air is back in charge of New England this morning and will remain so for the next couple days. Gusty NW winds behind a departing coastal storm that brushed the area yesterday will keep the cold air flowing throughout the day today. High temps won’t even make double digits up in the mountains while the coast should be able to struggle towards 20. Patchy sunshine downwind of the mountains this morning will promote rising instability by midday. As a result, upslope clouds and snow showers should find an environment favorable for straying into the foothills and coastal plain by the early afternoon. So while the steadiest snow, and best odds at accumulation above an inch, will remain in the higher terrain anyone and probably everyone will get some flakes by the time the sun goes down. Clouds, winds, and snow showers will fade after sunset.
A cold front continues to approach from the west this morning, though it’s not quite here yet. That means we’re looking at another day of very warm weather, for this time of year anyway. Highs will soar towards 40 in the north and 50 in the south as a broken mid-level cloud deck allows some sunlight to reach the ground from time to time. The cold front will arrive from west to east during the late afternoon/early evening hours, bringing a chance for some snow showers especially in the mountains. Southwest winds will then flip around to the west and temps will return to their rightful subfreezing perch across the area by midnight.
Forecasterjack 