DAYS 1-5 (OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 3)
Discussion…
About 10 days ago I told a coworker many of us would see our first snowflakes before October was over. Well, many of you will indeed see that today. But this is not going to be a big snowstorm either. No repeat of 2011. And let’s get our priorities straight. People “freak out” (don’t know why) over relatively minor events these days, but for most of you, snow is not going to be the problem today. The greater danger comes tonight when temperatures fall into the 20s before the ground has a chance to dry off, even though the snow (and rain to the southeast) will have ended hours before. This is a recipe for black ice, and it would have been an issue even with out the snow. So don’t blame the snow for the ice that forms tonight. It’s time we got back to thinking about weather in a more practical sense. Getting lost in the drama of “flakes falling from the sky” prevents a lot of useful information from actually being heard. So be careful tonight if you go out. If you read this, and still do the icy slip n’ slide, don’t say you were not warned. So onto the rest of the weather. We have our little winter preview event as cold air meets departing low pressure today, then that cold air and black ice tonight. Thankfully as high pressure settles over the region on Saturday, despite a very cold start, the dry will “warm” back to the 40s with very dry air which will allow those icy patches to disappear. Saturday evening, for any outdoor Halloween activities, expect a sky that shows some high clouds arriving just in time to accent the rising full moon, the second one this month, the “blue moon” (not actually blue), or the Hunter’s moon. During the late night, expect more clouds and a temperature that may rise slightly as the wind begins to blow from the south. A warm front passes the region early Sunday and a cold front then approaches late in the day, but doesn’t pass through until Sunday night with its rain showers. Also, don’t forget that this is also the weekend we switch from Daylight Savings Time back to Standard Time as the clocks go back 1 hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. I’ve noticed a lot of folks lately having gotten into the habit of calling “Standard Time” by the name “Daylight Savings Time”. No. That’s what we are coming off of, and going BACK to Standard Time. Spread the word. Let’s call things what they are. And speaking of getting back to things, back to the weather I go, and back to the cold air we go on Monday and Tuesday with a nice delivery from the arctic via Canada. A few snow showers may accompany the incoming cold on Monday, but nothing series in the snow department. Tuesday, Election Day, looks dry, but there may be some areas that never get out of the 30s – so between today and that day, we’re going to see a couple of mighty chilly days for this time of year…
Details…
TODAY: Overcast. Snow or rain changing to snow, accumulating 1/2 to 2 inches, especially on grassy/leafy surfaces and other typically cold surfaces., while the South Coast / Cape Cod are mainly rain with a few flakes mixing in. Breaking clouds this afternoon. Highs 35-42. Wind NE shifting to NW 10-20 MPH.
TONIGHT: Clearing. Lows 21-28 except around 30 urban centers. Wind NW diminishing to under 10 MPH.
SATURDAY: Sunny. Highs 42-49. Wind N 5-15 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear evening. Increasing clouds overnight. Lows 31-38 evening then a slow temperature rise overnight. Wind variable under 10 MPH early, becoming S 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers, especially in the afternoon. Highs 52-59. Wind S 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with rain showers during the evening. Partly cloudy overnight. Lows 33-40. Wind S 10-20 MPH shifting to W.
MONDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Slight risk of a rain or snow shower. Highs 38-45. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.
MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy evening with a passing snow shower possible. Mostly clear overnight. Lows 20-27. Wind chill below 20 at times. Wind NW 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.
TUESDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 36-43. Wind NW 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.
DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 4-8)
Dry weather dominates with a warm-up November 4-6, then cooling down again later in the period.
DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 9-13)
Dry, chilly start then warming up again November 9-10. Strong cold front may bring rain showers and then another shot of cold by November 11. Watch for a wave of low pressure with possible unsettled weather late in the period.