DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 2-6)
A frigid start to your day today with arctic air in place, and while we have about a 20-degree temperature rise during the day, that only brings high temps into the 20s, which is well below normal for early March. Dry weather will prevail as high pressure builds into the region. This high will be overhead tonight allowing another frigid night as we see radiational cooling, but things change quickly on Tuesday as the high slides offshore and low pressure approaches from the southwest. We should have the opportunity to view a selenelion total lunar eclipse (eclipsed moon, reddish in the western sky just before setting, while the sun comes over the horizon in the east) early Tuesday morning before clouds move in and thicken rapidly during the day, leading to an episode of precipitation – snow to rain, with some sleet and freezing rain possible during the transition, and some snow accumulation expected prior to the transition. This will take place as a frontal boundary moves slowly to the north across our region through the night, then slides back to the south overnight after the low pressure wave moves by and drier air ends the precipitation. This will lead to a precipitation-free day on Wednesday with some partial sun possible with a little bubble of high pressure passing by. The front will come back our way on Thursday with clouds thickening again, and rain at night as it turns a little milder, but just as low pressure is set to move through from the west that night into Friday, a push from eastern Canadian high pressure will send the boundary back to the south and colder air will come back, so our event that starts as rain can end up having some sleet and freezing rain involved in it during Friday before it all tapers off later in the day. Additional details will be worked out regarding this system over the next few days.
TODAY: A few passing clouds Outer Cape Cod until midday and some high clouds crossing the southern sky filtering the sun South Coast, otherwise sunny. Highs 23-30. Wind NW 5-15 MPH shifting to SW late.
TONIGHT: Clear. Lows -5 to +2 inland / valleys, 3-10 coast / urban areas. Wind calm.
TUESDAY: Clouding over. Snow/sleet arrives southwest to northeast afternoon. Highs 32-39. Wind calm becoming SE up to 10 MPH.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with rain in the evening – pockets of freezing rain possible in some locations. Temperatures steady 32-39 early then rise slightly. Wind variable up to 10 MPH early, becoming W late.
WEDNESDAY: Clouds break for sun. Fog patches early morning. Highs 42-49. Wind W up to 10 MPH becoming variable then SE by late-day.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly to mostly cloudy. Patchy fog. Lows 32-39. Wind SE up to 10 MPH.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Rain arrives by late-day. Highs 42-49. Wind S up to 10 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Rain likely but pockets of sleet and freezing rain possible southern NH and northern MA overnight. Lows 32-39. Wind shifting to NE up to 10 MPH from north to south.
FRIDAY: Cloudy with rain/ice/sleet morning-midday (freezing/frozen precipitation most likely inland and north). Breaking clouds possible later. Highs 35-42. Wind NE to N up to 10 MPH.
DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 7-11)
Frontal boundary pushes back north with milder air and a chance of rain showers on Saturday March 7. Low pressure moving by sends the front back to the south again Sunday March 8 with rain shower chance followed by clearing – mild start then colder later. Dry, chilly early next week before another warm-up occurs toward mid week. The switch from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time takes place on March 8 (2:00 a.m. EST becomes 3:00 a.m. EDT).
DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 12-16)
Briefly above normal temperatures with unsettled weather early in the period marking a switch back to near to below normal temperatures during mid March.