Storm Update (Friday Evening)

784 Comments

4:51PM

There is not a whole lot to say about this storm, now underway, that hasn’t already been said. All valid info from the previous post is still the same. One thing I would like to stress though is the coastal flooding issue, which will be worst at high tide times tonight and Saturday morning. No, we won’t see as widespread and major flooding as what occurred in 1978, HOWEVER, some areas, especially around Scituate and Sandwich and any north-facing coastal areas and especially bays, will be vulnerable to some major flooding problems. Property damage is very likely there and those areas should be evacuated.

The previous comments on timing, snow intensity and amounts, accumulations, and lightning/thunder chances remain the same. The one change I am making to the accumulations is this: Up the totals a little on the outer Cape Cod region and Nantucket to 6-12 inches with locally heavier (these areas may see a few additional inches at the end of the storm due to ocean-effect snow as well, even after the main storm snow has departed later Saturday.

Starting to feel that the jackpot of 24-30+ inches may occur along a band somewhere in the I-95 belt to I-495 belt northwest of Boston. Another such area may take place from the southwestern suburbs of Boston to northern Rhode Island. This will be updated as needed.  Bottom line: Major snow accumulation and major snow drifting during the next 24 hours.

Updated forecast for southeastern New England…

THROUGH SATURDAY: Any mix to snow Cape Cod/Islands, snow elsewhere, moderate to heavy, at times very heavy, with white-out conditions, peaking during the nighttime and early morning hours, tapering off and ending from west to east during the day Saturday. Accumulations (inches) of 6-12+ Nantucket to Outer Cape Cod ranging to 18-30+ most other areas as mentioned previously. Lightning and thunder possible. Temperatures hanging in the middle to upper 10s interior MA into southern NH, falling from the lower 30s into the 20s in southeastern areas. Wind NE shifting more to the N with time, 25-35 MPH gusting 45-65 MPH inland, 35-45 MPH gusting 55-75 MPH higher elevations and coastal areas. Isolated higher wind gusts possible.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Lows around 10. Wind NW 15-25 MPH. Wind chill around zero.

SUNDAY: Sunny. High 32-37. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY: Clouding over. PM snow to mix ending as rain. Low 20. High 40.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 30. High 40.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Low 27. High 42.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Low 25. High 40.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 22. High 42.

784 thoughts on “Storm Update (Friday Evening)”

  1. Thanks tk! What does your gut say about if this storm will stall, delivering more snow, or being peogressive lesser snow

    1. Same deal pretty much. And at this point, even a slightly more progressive storm with 3-6 inches less snow than the astronomical totals predicted along with the winds (which will be just as bad either way), you won’t notice much difference.

      There were some gigantic snow total differences in 1978 from around 20 to around 40 inches over very short distances.

      1. So what time do you think the storm might be over in Eastern mass? Wbz was saying accumulating snow may be over by 7am–thoughts?

      2. So what time do you think the storm might be over in Eastern mass? Wbz was saying accumulating snow may be over by 7am–thoughts?

  2. A couple of inches of heavy wet crap in Millis… really hoping the temperature drops soon (still holding steady at 32). The longer we wait for the fluffy, dry snow, the longer I worry about fallen trees and power outages.

  4. Thanks TK…wind NE here now…temps starting to drop….visibility down under a little better than a 1/4 mile at times…

    1. Lower 40s a few days. Even without that you would start to see melting just due to the sun angle. A lot more quick-melting snowpacks this time of year versus December to January!

  7. Feel pretty good about going forecast of 18-24″. I agree with TK about 2nd potential jack pot area in NW suburbs.

    I did down my forecast total in the Berkshires 10-14″ and CT River Valley of MA 10-16″ Not totally confident everyone out there gets a foot so I took the cheap way out and put out a 6″ range. One of my wimpiest moves ever!

    1. Somebody in the CT Valley is going to end up with under 10 but they won’t have understood the shadowing and be mad that they didn’t get 2 feet.

  8. Tide at + 1.43 ft above normal. This 9:45 pm tide has everything leading to a big surge ……ramping up winds, lowering pressure, some onshore component to the winds and building waves.

  11. I haven’t heard any more from the TV mets regarding stalling near the Cape since this morning. TK, does this mean that the storm is going to be more progressive and moving out a little sooner than expected tomorrow?

    1. Maybe a little bit, but it won’t impact final totals that much. This is one of the reasons I gave a big range (18-30) for the biggest areas. That, and the built-in variability these storms come with.

      Somebody asked me yesterday “why such a big range? that seems so cheap!” .. My reply was: “Melt all the areas down and look at that range and then we’ll talk.”

      1. Amen. I have a general rule of no more than rule of 2-4″ ranges, and I have gone to 6″ with this one with the caveat of locally heavier amounts. There is a lot of variability that can be forecasted but not pinpointed and I am sorry but even the so called short-range mesoscale models do a bad job of forecasting this.

  13. The small temp drop is probably due to the sun setting. That front has not moved. Big bust potential down here if we don’t drop before the heavy stuff gets here.

    1. Hingham has visibility down to about 1/8 of a mile times here…winds are gusting big time and the temp is still around 30…about 4 inches here so far.

  14. I had 6-10″ on cape and Nantucket already but TK may be right about upping that high end. Snow will linger on outer cape tomorrow. However, I do believe inland areas this event will be more progressive than modeled. Coastal areas this is going to hang tough. I am now concerned biggest threat with this system will be tides and related coastal flooding through all the tide cycles through Sunday.

    1. I upped that because I think they could catch 4 to 6 inches of feathers on the back end. There is some VERY cold air sitting just north of here and it’s going to be tapped and yanked right down over the Atlantic waters as this thing departs.

  15. 5PM wind at Logan has backed to 060 degrees. Getting there. Temp 32 at the airport.
    Should start to drop really soon.

  16. Thanks TK. About 3″ here in West Concord so far, but that’s just a base coat for the big party. Seems that the stalling factor, one way or the other, will be the ‘deciderer’ for this storm. NECN just called for ‘some’ stalling, but it wasn’t Noyes doing the talking. I think NEWW has it stalling until Wednesday, lol.

  17. The CPC shows normal temps and well above normal precip. If this verifies, I would say the next two weeks look quite active to say the least.

    We could actually get to “normal” snowfall this winter??? Who would have thought when this winter season began. 😀

  18. Temps going up just a tiny bit – two hours ago it was 19.1* and now it’s 20.4* with very fine flakes, about 1.5-2″ outside of very powdery snow. Is there thinking now that the Merrimack/Nashoba Valleys could be that potential jackpot area?

    1. In it or very near it. The thing about a jackpot area is that the region just outside of it is sometimes cheated out of some accumulation due to gaps between bands.

  19. New England Weather Works
    This low pressure center is really blowing up, it’s taking on the look of a Hurricane, that’s because this is a winter Hurricane. Latest to me suggests this system is responding to a collapsing upper steering flow. The low is likely to stall off Nantucket while delivering a full blown beat down of the New England coast tonight, Please stay alert this evening we will keep you posted.

  20. Pete said that wherever the 30-inch band sets up, it will NOT be in the Merrimack Valley where it has been in many previous storms.

    2. I’m Sorry I saw the snow depth and thought it was hilarious. I already posted it when I saw the other comment. I sincerely hope no one is offended by that.
      It was intended for humor only.

  22. Not that it matters much but the GFS looks to have slowed the system and keeps precip going into the afternoon tomorrow.

  25. Ok. Been a fun 20 minutes hanging. If I have not said it before, thanks TK for having this forum and I wish more mets would participate. Because personally I learn a lot here about what the public understands and what they don’t, along with their perceptions and fears about the weather. It helps inform the discussion and presentation of forecast details to better serve the public and clients and I think many would benefit from the input.

    Back to work. Try to check in between 10 and 11.

  26. TK, can you give a timeline when that pesky coastal front will move south through Boston? I will have enough shoveling to do tomorrow as it is and I want it as fluffy as possible. Thanks in advance. 🙂

    1. I’d love an estimate for Millis, too. What’s coming down here right now can only barely be called “snow” — hold your hand out, and it feels like rain.

  27. Hi all,

    I am a LONG TIME lurker/observer – back to the old WBZ page… just want to say I am enjoying experiencing this storm with you all – thanks TK for providing the format for a troll free weather forum for us weather enthusiasts!
    I have learned so much from you all and am looking forward to watching this amazing storm unfold!

    PS – Anyone know a plow guy in Dedham ?? 🙂
    Kathleen

    1. Welcome 🙂

      Even if they got in, I can zap them.

      Simple rules on the blog. Anybody is welcome as long as they are civil.

      1. Look time lurker (back to the wbz days as well!).

        Thanks TK for the great blog experience. I’ve been coming here frequently for years and have learned so much.

        1. I figure even if you and john aren’t ever gonna be best friends, you can learn to coexist here. 🙂

    2. Long time lurker here as well. I particularly like hearing the updates from all over and the links to different graphics. Thanks for this forum!

  29. TK. Thanks for the update!

    IYHO…What time do you think accumulating snow shuts off in Boston tomorrow?

      1. A couple models have it ending later. A couple earlier. I just kind of took an average. Bottom line is, it snows into tomorrow morning at least, afternoon very possibly and we’ll need quite a bit of time to dig out. 🙂

    2. This will answer your question which was also asked by a newcomer above… (Pardon my slow approval of comments – still catching up on site admin while watching the storm and new data…)

      I think Boston’s heaviest accumulation is over by 9 or 10 in the morning. It may snow until noonish but that is + or – as much as 2 hours. Hard to pinpoint the exact setup of the final snow bands around the back edge.

      1. Thanks TK. I believe I slightly misunderstood alisonarod’s question, but I believe I am correct in the sense that the last flakes should stop by 3 p.m.

    3. Hey Arod….did you see that BM responded on the BZ blog today? Thought of you as I was reading his post.

      1. I had no idea Sue. I love that guy! Thanks for telling me. And thank you TK for your prompt response:)

    2. No, just wanted to step aside and watch the snow for a while. 🙂 it has been moderate to heavy the last hour.

  34. IMHO, i think that some places in the cape could very well reach 2 feet of snow, They are getting VERY heavy snowfall rates right now, perhaps even 2 inches an hour, Those bands are all coming from LI, and they will hit the cape and southern Ma the most, i dont see any mixing issues on the cape, looks like jackspot area could be also branstable and bristol counties as well

  35. Winds are really starting to howl down here. Listening to the police scanner and hearing lots of motor vehicle versus telephone pole reports. Not sure why they are out on the road but there are always those that don’t think the rules pertain to them.

    2. You reminded me to turn my scanner on. Thanks. It’s absolutely quiet. Anything but typical for framingham. Glad the police won’t have to be out too but wish the people would obey the ban

  36. I apologize for the long durations of time that I am absent from this blog. I read it frequently though, and I usually say all my comments to TK in person 😉 But I’ll post here more often.

    Does anyone think they will be able to open their doors tomorrow? 😉

    2. We are trying to keep our clear but I think there may be problems. I’m betting my son in law goes sledding off the roof again.

  37. Yeah leftover Chinese food soon!

    And BTW if I don’t reply to anyone’s comment or especially question, it’s not that you’re being ignored, it’s that I missed it in the comment scroll. Between it and keeping tabs on the storm and taking care of things here at home it may be tough to keep up at times. 🙂

    Same goes for any new commenting readers that are “awaiting moderation”. I know I remind you of that frequently but I want to make sure people understand why it can take a bit of time. 🙂

  38. Strange to be in Philadelphia where the temp is still above freezing. Nothing on the ground. Not even much rain. Drive from here to Harrisburg (funeral) was happily uneventful, with no snow (just a little sleet – temps well above freezing). I don’t think Philly will get much in terms of qpf or snowfall. In fact, nothing may be the operative word. That’s bizarre given what’s happening just 280-300 miles north of here.

  39. 1. Feb. 17-18, 2003 = 27.5″
    2. Feb. 6-7, 1978 = 27.1″
    3. Feb. 24-27, 1969 = 26.3″
    4. Mar. 31-Apr. 1, 1997 = 25.4″
    5. Jan. 22-23, 2005 = 22.5″
    6. Jan. 20-21, 1978 = 21.4″
    7. Mar. 3-5, 1960 = 19.8″
    8. Feb. 16-17, 1958 = 19.4″
    9. Feb. 8-10, 1994 = 18.7″
    10. Dec. 26-27, 2010 = 18.2″
    10. Jan. 7-8, 1996 = 18.2″

  41. My mom is still convinced (since this morning) that the power is going to go out.

    I keep telling her it isn’t, but she won’t believe me.

  42. Snow is finally starting to accumulate here in Easton. Visibilities down and snow blowing around. Maybe 2.5″ so far but accumulating quickly now. This is what ive been waiting for!

  43. Harvey is fairly confident that the 24-30-inch band will be the I-95 corridor including Boston. TK, do you agree?

  44. Pretty intense here in JP. Just came in from playing with son and looking around 4-5 inches so far. Still 33 here.

    1. You’re too far South in JP. 32 here. Falling and Blowing snow!! Visibility about 1/4 mile!!

      It is outrageous out there!

  46. Hi All, I made it home from work about 4:30. The drive wasn’t too bad. I still have staff in the office, but they are leaving right now. Hope all of you are safe and sound in your homes and that we all stay safe tonight! Time for me to enjoy the storm!

  47. Per NBC 30 in CT, 10″ of snow has accumulated thus far in Higganum ( located 10 miles inland from the shoreline in central Ct). This is the highest snow total I have seen thus far.

    Really coming down now in Coventry. Looks like a blizzard now!

  48. Just got in from shoveling the walk and the deck….want to do that every 2-3 hours or so to keep up with it. The first layer of snow was the wet heavy stuff but top layer was a lot more fluffy. Really whipping around out there right now.

  49. Mark the wind has picked up here in Watertown. I just saw a gust of 36 mph in Waterbury. I see some heavy bands of snow coming in from Long Island Sound to the shoreline. Around 6 inches in this part of the state and if we get into these heavier bands I think we get at least a foot here with the snow not shutting of until 6AM here.

      1. just flash of lightning, no rumbles… but it comes down real hard, barely see the house across the street..

          1. Now it lightens up a little bit, vis. probably around 1/2 mile now… I think a “thunderstorm” went by.. 🙂

  51. Logan down to 31F, Marshfield wind direction backing to 040, looking at radar and seeing a very heavy band just to my south.

    About 2 to 2.5 inches so far, most of any storm this year.

  52. The winds here arent as bad as NWS put on the text forcast outlook. They had gusts to 55 but now they lowered it to 47 right here in reading, but then again we are not at the height of the storm yet

  53. Still no movement in temp even as far nw as 495. Smelling some verification issues!

    I picked up 1 3/4″ the last hour. Total snow is 5 3/4″.

    2. The winds are slowly backing. The low needs to get about due south of Marthas Vineyard and then that wind will back to 010 or even due north and the temp will crash. My guess is sometime btwn 9 and 10pm. Until then, its a lot of heavy, wet snow….followed by a lot of dry, powdery snow. It will be noticeable in shoveling tomorrow how the top 10 or 12 inches are light and the bottom 10 or 12 are concrete.

        1. Another 5 to 7 in about 3 hrs…… Yes, I think there’s a shot at it based on the current radar and knowing the south coast is experiencing thunder snow and the convective type echoes down around MV and Nantucket.

        2. Besides the heavy band thats sitting over us right now, check out the echoes right btwn the Vineyard and Nantucket. Wow….. its the 2-3 inch per hr snows now for a while.

  55. JJ, Brad Field reported sustained 36 mph wind and gust to 55 mph at New London this hour with heavy snow. Now that’s an all out blizzard!

  60. Theres a LOT of tall old pine trees around my condo complex that are swaying around. Two of those trees came down during Sandy and knocked out my power for 3 days.

  62. Trees and bushes all covered with snow. Winds have been pretty calm here in Sudbury all day, but now can see some movement in trees, bushes. Snow coming down moderately and can see there is some wind the way the snow is coming down. Wonder if any thundersnow will get to Sudbury!

  63. We had a 4″ diameter pine fall and barely miss my wife’s car. All the pines are sagging. Need those temps to drop soon. Another 6″ of this heavy snow and you can kiss the power good by.

    1. Glad it missed the car Coastal ! I’m afraid it will either be the heavy wet snow or the wind. The gusts in the last hr are really roaring here. I noticed Nantuckets last ob was sustained at 37 knots, gusting to 51. Unfortunately, the winds havent quite yet caught up to or reflected the explosive pressure drop going on. But, in a few hours, they will.

  65. Hey Vicki….I am sipping on my tea and raising a toast to you since we both get to enjoy the snow this time. Although, by tea I mean beer. 🙂

  66. Absolute ALL Out BLIZZARD conditions here in JP. The wind is enormous.
    Can barely see across the street!! It’s here!!!

    2. Well, hold on there for another hour and I’d think it will be even more intense. The radar shows even darker greens now just south of Boston.

  67. Where is the snow down here in Plymouth? It is snowing but certainly not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

  69. Ahhh damn the intense heavy snowband in providence will miss boston and the north shore. We still have lght to moderate snow here in reading, but i am concerned that those 2 to 3 inches snowband is only going to hit sw of boston and miss the merrimack valley, if thats the case, i am looking for 18 inches here only, all the bands moving from SE TO NW oppose of SW TO NE

    1. Take into account the developing circulation as well as the overall storm movement. See below…

    2. Kane as the center of circulation moves eastward, so will the heavy snowbands. It gets to you mid to late evening. Your turn will come.

  70. 7PM Logan OBS.

    Temp 30
    Moderate Snow, vis 1/2 mile
    Wind direction back to 050 Degrees
    Gusting to 42 mph.

  71. It is snowing heavily here in North Attleboro and has been for about 90 minutes.

    Charlie, are you having rain?

  74. Power is out! First time with a generator. Can I run it in this weather or should I wait for it to stop.

    2. They are designed to run in bad weather…I ran mine during Sandy fully exposed. Just clean any snow that might get on it once and a while (since it runs hot, it shouldn’t be much). If it’s just the refridgerator, I’d wait a few hours in case the power comes on…if you keep the doors closed you have many hours of cold in there.

    4. Sorry to hear the power is out Coastal !

      I’m sure you know the concerns with making sure the CO remains outside the home..

      Anyhow, our heat was off for a night this past week due to an issue and the house got down to 54F…..

      2. Definitely understand your concern with young kids !! Same here, have the heat currently running at 73F. Btwn the wet snow and the sharply increasing wind gusts, it wont be long before we join you in the dark.

  75. Points to make:

    * The radar is going to see the echoes near PVD heavier because they are closer to the radar site. It’s all part of the same band and it will not miss Boston.

    * The transition / merger is still ongoing. The energy in NY State area has not completely been absorbed into the new storm. This process will take place over the next 6 to 8 hours.

    * Yes the coast has held onto wetter snow thanks to the ocean water that is 4 to 5 degrees warmer than normal. But the fact the rain/snow line is heading SE toward Nantucket says that the party is about to turn a little more dry and fluffy (bit more time the further south you are).

    * No change to the overall accumulation forecast. Starting to pinpoint the 24+ area as SW of Boston and northern RI .. AS WELL AS .. the I-95 belt northwest to north of Boston. Details still to come.

    1. TK, to your second point, transition/merger. At what point will the storm be most intense in Boston — say 10 pm to 4am? By intense, I mean the period where we might see the highest per hour snowfall rates.

  77. Just went out to measure. After a slow start, things have picked up so fast. I have a solid 5″ in Easton

  81. Snowing wildly in Westwood right now. A half a foot of snow already and at least 12 more hours of the most intense snow to come. I cannot imagine it snowing much harder than it already is but it’s supposed to as the storm continues to intensify. The transfer of the northern stream storm is still not complete. Once that occurs, the snow’s intensity will strengthen and the storm’s progression will begin to halt.

      1. Sorry, they didn’t say. I’ll double check.

        This is what they said:

        New England Weather Works
        NAM for sat Morning, you can see the intense Heavy snow Over Maine, Snow fall rates of 3 inches an hour.

    2. Don’t worry. At least this time it doesn’t really matter for most of this area.

      But that leads me to a point I want to make… See below (in a few minutes).

  85. The storm will stall as the storm captures energy from the north and literally gets pulled from behind closer to the coast. Think of it as grabbing the shirt of someone who is jogging in front of you. How long the heavy snow sticks around in the a.m. depends largely upon how long that person can hold onto the other person’s shirt in front of him. Weak analogy but you catch my drift.

  87. How to figure out by radar where the heaviest bands are going to be (and who gets the heaviest accumulation).

    The Pivot! It sounds like the title of a really annoying dance craze with an equally bad song to go along with it. But wait, there’s more!

    Watch the precip. echoes around the circulation of this storm as it spins, intensifies, and moves to the northeast (possibly stalling for a while or doing a small loop). There will be a region that sits under heavy radar echoes (of course getting nailed with intense snow) for a prolonged period as it circulates around the back side of the storm which is also in the process of moving northeastward. The net motion of this precip looks more like it is gradually turning but remaining almost stationary for a while over one region (in this case, northern RI running in a strip up along 495 & 95 and northeastward into eastern NH). This is why I am expecting the jackpot amounts to be in some or much of this region.

      1. There were 2 jackpot areas in 1978, one largely unnoticed due to lack of data. It was in the 128 belt northwest of Boston.

        Woburn sat in this belt. One of my older brothers, ironically having gotten a real pair of snow shoes for Christmas 1977, and already having 2 or 3 chances to use them in January, strapped them on late on Tuesday February 7 as the snow was ending, taped 2 yard sticks together, and snowshoed to the Woburn High School baseball/soccer fields (about 1/3 mile across and open) to take multiple measurements in as drift-free an area as he could find, and came up with 44 inches for an average.

  88. Went out to look for a down line or something and all I hear was branches and trees cracking and falling. Scary situation here with only 6″ of snow.

      1. Coastal’s in Hanover, I’m in Marshfield. Its 32-33F down here with heavy, wet snow. The snow rate the last couple hrs has been heavy !

    3. Power still on here in Hingham…but just had our first flicker of the night. Hingham has it’s on power company and the infrastructure is pretty good but you never know. Going out again to shove and try to keep up with this beast.

  91. Braving the elements for an official measurement. Just had a wind gust around 45 MPH here. Temp which had fallen had bounced back up toward 30 and just crashed to 20.

    3. TK was out and had around 6″…bummed it was pretty heavy on the bottom. Hoping it would be all fluff.

  92. Boston tide guage now up to a 2 foot storm surge and climbing. Coastal flooding issues start at 12 ft and since the high tide height is supposed to be a bit above 10 ft, well…..should be some interesting TV shots the next few hours out of Scituate.

  93. I went out and got 5,75 in a fairly protected area. My SIL who has been shoveling said closer to 7 but not convinced. And who said this is light and fluffy

  94. I’ve never ever seen snow fall the way it is falling right now in Westwood. I’m waiting to here thunder. It’s extremely intense and likely falling at 3 inches per hour. You can see that heavy, heavy band setting shop right over us just southwest of Boston by the I-95 belt.

  95. Yellow band on the radar has pivoted in to northeast CT. Incredibly intense snow now here. I would guess this is 3″/ hour snow. Sitting at 7″ now. Some red echoes moving in and several reports of thunder snow in southeast CT and Ri. Lights have flickered a few times as well.

  96. Lights flickered a bit at my house in Quincy. Snow really coming down CRAZY!!! I have to say we got 6″ plus so far.

  100. WOW!!!

    Matt Noyes ‏@MattNoyesNECN

    RT @stormtopiawx: @MattNoyesNECN 5.5″ in one hour in Groton, CT …. this is just obscene lol

  103. Husband just took swipe at trouble area on our roof. Snow is going sideways and no visibility. 21.7 and DP down to 20. Consistent 16-20 gusts

    1. Wow, got very cold !

      Here, if you pick up the snow and squeeze it, some water literally comes pouring out of your hand.

  106. 7.5 inches in Sandwich. Very heavy/pasty snow. Crazy wind. Still have power but lights have flickered several times.

  111. Hey guys! Been out shoveling… Ugh! The snowblower wont start despite many attempts to resuscitate it. I don’t have an official measurement of snowfall, but estimating about 5-6 inches of heavy snowfall with lots of wind and drifting snow in Lynn. Hope everyone is well!

  112. Some of the NAM’s craziness is going to verify. Lets say its this intense until 2am, thats 6 more hours at 2.5 inches per hour. Thats 15 inches on top of the 8 or so thats fallen and then you figure another 4 or 5 after that and thats pretty close to 30 inches on avg. but then, a few bands drop a 5.5 inches, like in CT and then you can get towards 35, 36 inches.

  116. Wow just walked out and nearly impossible to get a measurement. I am estimating around 8 inches so far. What you think OS?

  117. Can barely see house across the street. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse. Below zero visibility at this point. Just WOW!!!!!!!

    1. Yes Arod you are in the band I had for a while. Lighter echos over me right now but if I look outside it doesn’t look that way. I would definately say this was worth the wait this winter.

  120. I have never seen snow this hard in my life and I grew up in upstate NY. I am getting an inch every 15 min under this yellow band in Coventry, ct. 9″ now. If we sit under this for several hours, the snow totals in eastern CT are going to be insane!!

    1. Isolated 40 inch amounts not out of the question somewhere in southern new england. We knew your time would come Mark. Enjoy!

  127. Apparently law enforcement has not given a single ticket to anyone for driving after 4 PM. Everyone is behaving themselves.

    1. About 15 people on the snowfall seasonal contest are going down tonight and I’m one of them ….. And to think I had 23 inches to spare. 🙂

      1. I went crashing down into a snow drift :). Maybe I really meant my 18.3 to be for this one storm in framingham. Yea…..that’s it 😉

  131. 7.5 and going up fast in Woburn.
    Temp 20. Wind N gusting around 35 occasionally 40-45.
    Few power flickers but so far ok.

    The short range guidance is showing the low doing a halt just east of Cape Cod (what may be a tiny cyclonic loop) during the overnight hours then tracking more to the east. Almost as if it’s going to pay tribute to the ’78 storm, which will remain superior to this one.

  132. TK, could this band over eastern CT be one that pivots and remains stationary for many hours or are we too far west?

  133. Just got back from shoveling…did 3 measurements in areas where the wind least affects things…average 9.5 inches. That was when I went out to shovel…When I came back and checked the deck where I first shoveled an additional inch has fallen in the past 25 minutes.

  134. 5 inches here. I’m guessing we’ve had 1 inch melted already. Probably 5 : 1 snow ratio. The airport just down the street from me has been reporting 34F for several hours. Trees do not look good !

  135. Lost power for about 10 minutes and then came back. It is a constant dimming though. We are usually very luck with our power but apparently not this time. It is going to be a wild and crazy night for sure!

    1. Mostly minor similarities. The only thing coming close in some areas is the snow amounts when it’s over. And not true of every area.

      Coastal flooding, though major in spots, is going to be nothing like that widespread 4 high tide insanity in ’78.

      The storm, if it stalls at all, is only doing so for a wink of time compared to how long ’78 sat there. One MAJOR difference. High pressure is to the north, but it is nothing like that 1050+ millibar monster mountain of arctic cold that was sitting in Quebec and was a huge player in the high winds that ’78 produced.

  141. no lightning here . but snow is going sideways . very hard to measure snow amounts. i say 5to 7 inches. can not really put down a number

    1. Oh, I remember those frustrations ! But seriously, the benchmark bomb is usually not good for Lyndonville, unless the storm moves more northerly from there into New Brunswick, which this one wont.

  143. Temp down to 19. Wind straight north 15-35 gusting over 40. White-out. Heavy snow & blowing snow. 8 inches and counting at Woburn.

    1. At some point, this band is going to hit its northwesterly extent and then, as you described earlier, pivot. Should be interesting to see where and when that happens.

    2. And wow…as that heavy moisture laden band heads northwest, the temps are crashing out in that region, as seen by your ob. Lawrence has dropped significantly to 21 F, as has Natick. Imagine that intensity precip falling into those temps.

    1. Tom is that from the NWS? I’ve noticed that they are always reporting mixed precip….doesn’t matter what is actually happening…must be an automated reporting station

        1. LOL !! The airport, where the ob comes from for Marshfield is maybe .3 of a mile eastbound on Rte 139 from my neighborhood and sometimes I’ll look at the ob and be like, ah NO !

  145. Lots of convection coming northwestward into eastern MA over the next few hours. Just going to continue the madness.

    1. TK, clear and in the 60’s on the west side. 🙂 Ah who am I kidding…can’t even see anything out my front door!

    1. It is unreal. I’m literally beside myself with excitement ! A crash will be coming later tomorrow that no caffeine will stop. 🙂

    1. Clearly the battle is going on between the cold air getting sucked toward the storm and the warm air getting pulled in from the ocean around the circulation. Fascinating.

      2. wow that is amazing, does that mean thats where the most heavy snowfall bands are going to set between the 2 battles? Tk it looks like woburn might beat reading in total accumulations due to highter snow ratios, darn it :p

  151. Serious situation down her. Trees snapping left and right. Two on my wife’s car, smaller ones. I have trees on my patio that weren’t there. Need to find a mew place for genertor. No power. Kids are scared and won’t go down. I had 8″ a hour ago. Temps are steady. This is the most serious snowstorm situation I have been in.

    2. Oh no ! Hang in there Coastal ! It is hard when the kids get scared !!!

      Of all the concerns about this storm, I didnt give much thought to the wet snow potential down here, but its becoming a major problem.

      1. Tom…it’s an in between snow here in Hingham…not the real heavy wet stuff but not real powder either…there is some blowing and drifting. A huge gust of wind just shook the house…lights flickered for a second or two.

          1. The few streetlights on my street are dimming constantly tonight…to the point where they go out for 30 seconds or so….never seen that before. Not happening at the same time as the flicker of our house lights

  152. Huge mess in the south end. I have no idea how much. 7-8 inches? Over the head of my puppy, that’s for sure!

  155. Question…if you were to lose power for a full day or maybe a bit more…any danger with pipes freezing or is it not cold enough?

    1. Depends on how easily it happens at your place (structure, etc). It is falling into the teens tonight, back to the 20s tomorrow, down to 10 tomorrow night. Recovery after that.

      1. We just resides and they pull all new insutlation board all around the house before the vinyl. Maybe that will help…haven’t lived here long enough. Thanks.

        1. Shouldn’t be a problem in a day but keep your heat up and cupboard open and doors to small rooms open. Drip water of you lose power it won’t help your heat but it’ll help your plumbing pipes. It’s why I said I don’t want to lose power this time. Good luck.

  156. OMG! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any harder, it did! Huge silver dollar sized flakes mixing in. I just received an inch in the last 5 minutes! 13″ now and counting in Coventry, ct.

    1. I was just about to address a comment to you, but I guess you beat me to the communication. I was going to say you should be pounding there now.

  157. I have no clue how many inches we have in Worcester so far. The wind is blowing so fiercely that the deck outside my kitchen is completely bare. I’m hoping the wind magically clears off the driveway and sidewalk, too. 😉

    Lights have been flickering for the last hour or so, but so far we still have power.

    1. Hope you keep your power. This is a wild one, Christie.

      I had the same feeling you described earlier before this thing started.

  159. Lost power for a couple minutes, now flickering frequently. Have a feeling its going to shut off soon, for a while.

    Too bad, I’m enjoying hearing everyone’s reports, etc.

    Never wanted to see cold air so bad, but hopefully soon for the areas SE of Boston to switch this stuff over to powder.

    2. I was just down there last weekend at Lakeside Restaurant – lots of people ice fishing.

      You guys have been sitting under that snow bomb for hours. Send it up here please!

  163. Just came in from an hour and half outside, here in Andover, did some shoveling to stay ahead, but its coming down way too fast. Had the kids out, we did some sledding right down the street, pretty good hill, once in a lifetime. Just like when we were kids but never now…
    Went from about 6″ to 9″ while we were out. Kids were amazed, never seen snow like that before. Not big flakes, its 18 degrees here now, fairly fine, but coming down with real intensity and wind.

  168. Has anyone noticed that the storm has nicely filled in decent snow out to very easternmost NY State and that a nw to se moving band is intensifying and increasing in coverage around the Philly and NJ area ?

      1. Yes……so, at some point, with the pivot, I’d guess the heavy snow now in north central Mass would begin to rotate back south anfpd then southeast, as the whole area translates eastward, but with the back edge filling in, perhaps it allows the precip to linger a bit longer tomorrow ????

        1. I would think so.

          Still no pivot yet but when it happens someone is gonna get it – maybe central Ct.

          If they’re at 14-15 inches now, 30 is probably in reach for them by the looks of that radar

    2. Very little snow in Philadelphia. I’m in the city, and it’s barely snowed an inch and the storm is winding down here. Faster than they anticipated. Problem was high temps all day, so whatever snow and sleet fell never stuck. I’d say this applies to most of Pennsylvania except the Pocono region and perhaps the northern central part of the state. Also cities like DC and Baltimore were completely spared of snow.

      Envious of all of you getting to experience a big storm like this. I guess my 12-15 inches for Boston will get buried under. Wrong again! I do still think the jackpot is in the Providence area, or perhaps just north of Providence. We’ll see how the storm plays out. I think it’s more progressive than the `78 storm (TK mentioned this). In fact, I see it shutting down sooner than tomorrow afternoon, frankly.

  171. Beverly just crashed to 21F. Logan’s back down to 30F, its dewpoint down to 28F, wind backing to 030 degrees.

    1. Winds are picking up more and more here…house is shaking….I might not venture out to shovel again.

  175. Sweet lord, 17.5″ now in Coventry, ct. Carl Parker on the TWC just reported our Town has received one foot of snow in the past 2.5 hours. I have been making my spotter reports to the NWS hourly so he probably got it from there! 🙂

  177. It’s damn cold out there. I never really considered just how cold it was going to be. Most of our storms are well in the 20’s usually is seems. Sub 20…brrrrr….

  179. Snowing like a bastard here. One hour ago I was snow blowing the driveway with a foot of snow. Add at least a couple of inches to that. Likely 14 inches here and counting in Westwood and we have another 10 hours of intense snow to go. Likely going to reach 30 inches!

  180. Crap, I need to get out and snowblow now or I am screwed in the morning! Cannot believe I am saying this but 30″ is starting to look very likely.

    1. I thought about doing that, but figured I’d rather clean it once hard then many times not so hard. Good luck! Busy clean up for sure tomorrow!

  181. Yea no kidding Mark, share the wealth! I wonder if thats some kind of record during a specific time period???

  183. The NAM, the NAM !!!

    Either a transformer’s having a nutty nearby or we’re having serious thundersnow. Well, lots of lightning, I didnt hear any thunder.

    1. Marshfield even dropped 2 to 32 F and simultaneously, the window facing due north is now snowcovered. 20 minutes ago, it was the snow flakes that land on and then slide down the window.

    1. Haven’t been out and not going out tonight.

      Looks like about 8 inches or so?? What do U think?

      Been watching TV coverage.

  191. Does anyone know what the coastal flooding situation is? Or are we not even at that point in the storm yet?

    1. Its high tide right now….. Level in Boston Harbor is +2.95 ft above average, or a 13 ft tide, which with no wind is flooding back yards of houses on marshes, etc. I’d imagine immediate coastal areas are taking a pounding right now.

  192. Look at Springfield about to get in the act. That’s probably the hardest is has or ever will snow there.

  193. Power just went off for 2 minutes in Quincy, now back on… Never happened before, not Irene, not Sandy… SCARY!!!

  194. 12″ in Millis, temperature finally dropped a bit (down to 26), snow isn’t quite as heavy.

    Still pessimistic about the odds of our power staying on all night.

  195. I think Instant Maps shut me down because I link too many charts! 😀

    I can’t even view a chart now!

    1. This is LUNACY!!!
      Harvey Leonard was talking about the NAM. Said it is used to help with
      the forecasts, but nothing about it being primary. He relies on the Euro.

  200. Ace, this has got to be some sort of record. I have never seen 5″ per hour snows in my life.

    Looks like this band is actually going to pivot west of me shortly and the intensity has come down a little bit. You know it is some heavy stuff when there are red and orange echoes over us and we aren’t even close to either the Upton or Taunton radars.

    1. If that pivots west of u, it might pivot back over u on its way east. Wouldnt that be something, hit by the same band twice!

  201. Ok…I won’t be doing that again. Conditions are 10 times worse than 2 hours ago when I was shoveling. Trees are bending and snapping. I was on the back deck and almost got blown over by a gust and small limb that came down. Lots of blowing and drifting now. Temp is 28.5. A true measurement is tough right now but I would say 15 or 16 inches now on the ground. Visibility…well there isn’t much right now. Really surprised the power is still on. The one good thing is that the snow is now a nice powder.

      1. keeping my fingers crossed.

        Somehow all my antennas are still up….even the big wire loop in the trees…must have enough slack. Knock on wood.

    2. I had to shut down my browser completely, then I was able to view and link
      the charts again. Thanks Hadi. Please see photo above.

  203. Night all. Stay safe. Is too hard to measure but I’d say a foot. Maybe more. Winds howling but nothing like the coast. Great job everyone. You nailed it. And TK can’t say enought and thanks doesn’t begin……

  209. New England Weather Works
    ‎143mi S of Nantucket, moving ENE, 975mb (28.79″), sustained 55mph, gusts 85mph

    1. New England Weather Works
      Surface low has stalled.

      Anyone have confirmation of this? It looked like it to me, watching
      radar loops.

  210. Gotta love the NWS auto reporting stations

    LAWRENCE HAZE 19 14 81 MISG 29.78F VSB 1/2
    FITCHBURG HAZE 19 14 81 N22G29 29.77F VSB 1/4 WCI 2

    1. TK when do you think this will shut off in Woburn tomorrow? I don’t want to have to cleanup more than once. 🙂

      1. Rapid accumulation by 8AM, steadiest snow by noon, occasional flakes later in the day. Plus or minus a couple hours either side. But the wind will be strong enough for lots of blowing and drifting all day tomorrow into the evening and the high temp probably doesn’t get back to 25 at most tomorrow.

        I may just wait and do the entire thing Sunday (though a good part of the big driveway will be done by my neighbor (snowblower).

        1. Thanks man. I’m to anal to wait until Sunday…I at least prefer to get the roof raking done before dark…I can snowblow in the dark fine with light, etc.

  219. TK, I nloved your reason 1099 you became a meteorologist. Did that have anything with it being tax time?

  221. I just got back inside from snow blowing my driveway! We have 16″ it was absolutely insane outside! The wind was knocking me off balance! As soon as I got done we had another couple inches at least! This is awesome!! Loving it and taking it all in!

                1. One thing ive learned since ive lived here, the town stretches far from north to south. It is very possible. I took 3 measurements and averaged them but i did have a spot of 15″

                2. Ace is right the town is very long from north to south! That is amazing how much of a difference that is!

  224. NAM seems to have had a good handle on this storm. Do you think will get another 24″ in addition tomorrow? hmmmm

  225. TWC just reported a 76 mph wing gust at Logan!! 410,000 without power in New England now. 19.5 inches of snow now here in Coventry, ct. TWC just reported the same number in Hamden and a report of 6″ snow in one hour in stafford (same band that hit me)

  226. posted a bunch of pics on facebook of the birds before the storm and also parts of tonight.
    i have about 10-13 inches of snow. very hard to tell exactly. but the driveway was a work out.

  228. On generator power. I got wifi, cable, heat, lights and a fridge. What a storm. I never even thought of the wet snow damage. This is awesome and nerve racking. I officially don’t like snow storms! 🙂

    1. Welcome to the club. 🙂 You have a portable I assume? Curious how your heat is working, unless you plug the portable right into the house?

        1. I have my furnace rigged the exact same way! Haven’t lost power, but twice in the past I’ve hardwired a plug into the furnace, flipped the breaker, turned on the generator and run the heat.

    1. I’m fairly sure. Bands will not be as intense on the back end. Already some evidence of this. Would be shocked if we received much more than another 12-15 inches area wide but certainly not out of the question in a few locations. Still impressive totals to say the least.

  232. national weather service says an aditional 16-22 inches of snow on top of what already fell. plus another 4-8 inches tomorrow. i dought that

  234. Just to let you know I was joking about getting another 24.” I mean if we get an additional 24″ we are SCREWED!

  236. Hadi. Nice band over you and I right now. Take note of yet another band forming south and east of us that should be rotating in here as the storm continues to punish us.

  239. That new synoptic snow band forming near 95 is the intensification caused by those convective cells we talked about earlier.

          1. With temps now in the upper teens. I’d say we’re about half way done with accumulations, maybe a little over half way in some areas.

  241. Lost power for about a minute…back up. Went outside again to get a quick measurement…almost impossible. If I had to guess I would say about 18 or 19 inches.

  243. Nearing 15. Wind gusts are in the 50 range much more often.

    Wind gust to 79 MPH a mere 8 miles west of me.

    1. You’re comparing it to the intense band that went by earlier. Make no mistake though, there are still several strong snow bands to come. The storm is still intensifying, and is now in the process of beginning a small cyclonic loop.

  247. my brother lives in wallinford, ct, he says its nuts out there, i took a look at the radar there and god almighty are they getting hammered or what. CHECK THIS OUTT!!
    http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=OKX&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes
    the area of heavy snowfall keep piviting around the same area over and over, Tk do you think woburn will get some really intense dark green yellow bands in radar later? seems like merrimack valley is getting the least totalls out of this storm, god i wish some of the stuff in ct comes out here to the north shore, seems like we are not getting that intense snowfall band here ughh

  255. I have not gone out to measure in a while since the snow really came down here but I would say we easily have over a foot to maybe close to a foot and a half. The band that was in southeastern CT has pivoted this way. I have not heard thunder here.

  257. Tweet from BZ.

    @wbzweather: As if this one wasn’t enough, southern branch of the jet stream remains very active next 1-2 weeks. COULD be 3-5 storms in the pipeline!

  258. Power out here. Went out about 20 minutes ago. Think it will be out for awhile. Working on the netbook and the wifi rfor now. I can power the hotspot from the netbook which has a long battery life. Plus I have a second netbook battery.

  261. I won’t be able to do it until morning, but what’s the best way to measure snow depth when the drifts are so high? I’ve got bare pavement in places and 3 foot drifts in others. Do I try to find the flattest place and figure the average of a few spots within that area? My yard is very small so I have few options.

    2. It’s really hard or impossible Christie. I think you’re in Holden or Worcester. I’m in Holden and measured 13.5″ about 45 minutes ago. Close to 14.5″ now.

      I have a spot that is pretty well protected given the circumstances

    3. You are exactly right. Measure as many areas as you can. I know it’s a small area. Make the best of it. Also, look at a list of obs around your area, which will give you an idea.

      There is a certain “fudge factor” that has to come into play when measuring a difficult storm. You use what you can to get the best guess.

      1. Thanks for the tips, everyone! All I can say for sure is that it’s definitely over a foot. Probably inches over.

        Retrac, yes I’m in Worcester not too far from Holden. We’re basically neighbors!

  265. Matt Noyes tweete that the storm has now stalled off of Nantucket will see how long it stays stalled out. Good Night Everyone stay safe.

    1. Highly doubt it just from odds alone J.J.

      Our top ten has taken what, over 100 years of record-keeping to attain. Odds are you only get to see a few top five in your lifetime. Anyone near and over 40 has seen most of them.

    2. Thurs event, if it even happens, would be much smaller, but the following Monday, if that one happens, could be a little larger but nothing like today of course.

  267. I wasn’t planning on looking ahead yet but yes, snow threats Thursday & Sunday. I think the Thursday one will end up further south and east than the GFS has. The Sunday one is too far away for me to really have any feel for it.

  268. 22″ in Coventry, CT and I am officially snowed in. There is a two and a half foot drift in front of my garage. Snow blower can’t even make a dent in it. And still plenty more to cone. Should have gone out sooner!

    1. Mark did you get thundersnow over there? That band that came in from Long Island produced amazing amounts of snow.
      Its rotating this way now but from what I heard it dumped 4 5 inches an hour in some communties in the eastern part
      of CT.

        1. Wow that is some incredible snow rate you had out there. The wind is really gusting here and its snow at
          a good clip. There are some cars in the parking lot here where the snow is almost half way up and were probably
          going to get another several inches before this things shuts off around 6AM here. Even after the storm departs
          the wind is going to continue blowing that snow around.

  269. Heading to bed.

    Thanks retrac for the I info on measurement. 1-2 is probably exaggerated so its usually more like 4 and in a storm like its just an excuse to go out.

    1. I hear you on going out! I’m hitting the sack too.

      Thanks for great fun everyone over the past few days.

      Thanks TK, JMA for dealing with all of our craziness.

  270. Radar looking less impressive?, is the storm still intensifying? Tk mentioned that we cud get additional snow bands and hopefully we will!

  272. Ok in bed. Last thought I think someone gets really close to 40 inches. And Logan better not cheat to preserve a record.

  275. On radar it looks like another band is intensifying and backing in towards Worcester. I have doubts we get 30″ but I think we’ll be a shoein for 2′ at least. Still so many hours to go.

  276. Just came in from snowblowing. It was crazy. Temp crashed about 10:30 when I was out there. Glad I went out now as I had a tough time with the depth and getting through it.

  277. This is my third time out there clearing snow. Luckily my neighbor is bailing me out and clearing my sidewalk with their snowblower. I am estimating 18 inches so far. At least it is lighter and fluffier at this point. What a wild ride!

  278. Storm center is stationary south of Nantucket as the storm is stacking. It will do a tiny cyclonic loop as it does that, and then start to move east, eventually northeast again. This eastward movement will keep the storm center at a latitude that allows snow bands to continue to wheel in from the east well into Saturday morning before things finally wrap up and pull out during the day.

    Here in Woburn some of the strongest winds are occurring now. Blizzard conditions continue with north wind 25-40 MPH gusting 50-55 MPH very often. White-out almost all the time with brief periods where it eases up for a few moments.

  280. Pressure is rising. Does that mean storm is now on the move – not stalled? Lots of snow still around but doppler radar shows storm kind of compacting. Are we at the height of the storm now or are we at the last half? (I know the snow will cont. into the morning).
    Anyone still up? 🙂

    1. Guess not – back to bed. Awhile ago looked like a heavy band of snow set up in Worcester area and directly north and south of Worcester. But has weakened somewhat but heading east, so Boston area still has ways to go. But storm still looks compacting at this time. Our lights have been flickering all night.

      Thanks, TK for a great job!

  281. We are up to 25″ now in Coventry, ct. The intense band the pivoted through and shifted west of us earlier has come back through and dumped another 4″ in 2 hours. Amazing storm. Many 25-30″ reports coming through in CT now. Think we have another few hours of accumulating snow here and Then it should wind down.

    Rain shine, I think you’ve got another 4 or 5 hours. This more intense band over me now will continue to press east towards Boston in the next few hours.

  282. impressive storm for ct, but this storm is very dissapoining for boston, as of 12 am, boston is only reporting 10 inches, i doubt this storm will make top 5 for boston, perhaps maybe in the lower end, most of the heavier bands were in the ct river valley, central mass and ct, the radar didnt seem too impressive in eastern mass IMHO, anyhow stay safe everyone, goodnight!

  283. 34 inches of snow in Hamden, CT which is north of New Haven the biggest total I have seen so far. I would not be surprised if there total comes close to 40 inches. 13.4 inches at Bradley so far where inland records are kept here in CT. I don’t think they beat the record of 24 inches set January 11, 2011 but could sneak into the top 5 as number 5 is 17.7 inches from I believe a storm back in December 1945.

  285. Amazing. Unbelievable. How does one describe this?

    I can’t get out to measure. We have a two level back yard. The stone wall to the top level is not visible. It is at least 2.5 feet tall. Maybe more. The fire hydrant in our front yard just disappeared. We’ve lived here since June 1979 and I remember a few winters where accumulating snow was this deep and that was after multiple storms. And it just keeps on coming. Right now I can’t see the house across the street

    1. good because im pretty sure im already at or around 2 feet as of 6pm not sure. ranges from 23-27 with higher snow drifts. my neibors car is almost totally baried by a snow drift…. im so happy that i shoveled last night.

  289. Longshot it was not just Hartford County that got buried here in CT. I don’t how much snow is it my window but I would say at least two feet if not a little more. I can’t open my sliding glass door right now. The morning crews for are local stations can’t even get in to work right now. Outside where I live looking at the parking lot there are some cars where the snow is halfway up the car. One piece advice they just shared on the tv was if your car is outside make sure the exhaust pipe is clean and not frozen before starting the car.

  291. We just had one of our local meteorologist just came it into work and said its sureal. I am looking at the snow piles from the plows and they are quite high to say the least. You guys up there in eastern New England got a while to go with this. Back edge just pass the Hudson River Valley.

  295. Insane!! I can’t even open door!!! I have to climb out window to shovel 🙂 no idea how much at this point but its visibility is extremely low. I would easily 24 inches based that’s just a guess.

  297. Wow.

    26.5″ here. Nice moderate band over our heads still that looks like it might stay for a while. Maybe 30″???

      1. Holden – maybe five miles from Worcester Airport as the crow flies.

        It must have snowed like hell after I went to bed. We picked up 13″ since 11:14 (to be exact) last night wheres it took from 11:00am to 11:14 to get the first 13″.

  300. Quincy got buried.. Climb out the window and measured a few places and take an average of 23″..!!! Lost power since 10pm last night…

  302. It’s near impossible to get an accurate reading. Our entire neighborhood is buried. Intense still here.

    3. Hadi,

      Click on the picture and when you have the large picture, right click and view image. Cut and paste the image link, You’ll be in business.

    1. On NWS radar you can see it actually expand West still. Especially south of Springfield.

      By the way, that over 20″ in Amherst is impressive.

  311. the one thing that i do not understand is how are people to get to the shelters if you can not drive?

    2. Hopefully, police or other emergency vehicles will be able to provide transportation to the shelters.

  315. 2″ in the last hour here.

    Still pouring down at the same rate.

    Over 30 is for sure in sight now with the radar looking the way it does.

    1. Nice.

      I haven’t been out yet.

      I can’t believe how hard it’s snowing still.

      Something tells me O.S. has a dogsled team and he’s mushing them down the streets right now. 🙂

  318. Hoping we don’t get too much more…the wind more or less blew most of the snow off the roof which is HUGE for me…less wind now so it will accumlate.

  319. Measured snow in 3 different places about an hr. ago and Sudbury had 22-1/2 inches of snow. More falling and coming so that’s not a final count. Opened shade when I got up – Wow! It certainly has been a long time since we had anything like this! I guess we are having a winter this yr.

  321. Hope everyone had a safe night! The drifts are so crazy ~ I have an area in my yard where I can see the top of grass, but right next to it against the house the drift is about 6′ (no exaggeration) Too bad that couldn’t have happened in my driveway 🙂

  322. Over two feet here in Westwood. Radar still showing moderate to heavy bands still holding on. At least another few more hours before conditions improve. Widespread 2-4 additional inches seems likely. Wow!

    1. Will area’s inside I95 hold on to the snow longer than a few more hours? The reason I ask is that at 4:30am wbz said that we were only half way through the storm.

      1. Most of the ‘accumulating’ snow will be over by noon give or take an hour. Last flakes may take until 3 or so before things finally pull away. We are about 90% through with this storm in terms of accumulation but a few more inches+ in spots not out of the question.

  323. We have just shy of 30″ in Coventry, ct and still snowing. This is the biggest storm I have ever experienced. Widespread 25-30″+ totals in the eastern two thirds of the state. State is paralyzed and has a statewide driving ban. Snowblower was unable to make a dent in it when I went out last night. My friend who has plow said he would come over but just got stuck in a neighbor’s driveway and now needs to be towed.

    JJ, I just heard on fox that the report from BDL was outdated and was not an official measurement, just the recorded Qpf converted by a 10:1 ratio which is not accurate. Will be interesting if they can get an accurate reading, if BDL broke the 24″ single storm record set two years ago.

    1. Hi Mark…. I think there going to be in the top 3 for inland CT. At Bridgeport where the shoreline records are kept 30 inches of snow.
      The winner so far is Milford with 38.4 inches. There are cars stuck on some of the highways along with some plows that have gotten stuck. I can’t get an accurate measurement here with all the blowing and drifting of the snow but I would say at
      least 2 feet if not a little more.

      1. This is insane JJ. I just made a more accurate measurement here and reported 30.5″ to the NWS.

        Did you see the 34.5″ reported in new haven!? Where are they gonna put all that snow!!

  324. Hadi, thanks for sharing the picture. Such a JP sight. Love JP.

    I’m vicariously enjoying the storm from my computer in Philadelphia where it is virtually snowless. About an inch or so, maybe 2 in spots.

  326. Unofficially 27″ at my house in Quincy. Went out this morning took 3 different measurements. We have NO phones, power, cable etc

  328. Can I just say I’m glad I kept the widespread forecast range I did: 18-30 with locally heavier? This storm is a classic example of snowfall jackpots.

    Good morning everybody. 🙂

  330. Still snowing at a good clip in Worcester. The snow out my front window is as high as the hood of the F150 in the driveway. The end of my driveway has been plowed in and , with drifts, if probably 5′ high. The back deck is still completely bare. This is crazy!

    1. One of the most fascinating things about powder dumpings with big wind is that there are areas of bare ground etc. mixed with giant drifts. In the next yard over the grass between a large shed and their house is visible with a 4+ foot drift sitting a few feet away.

      1. It is crazy too see. Had to find a lower place to take the dog to. She is very small and getting buried.

    1. Window?

      I know people that had to do that in ’78.

      Tho I can probably push it open, the door at the top of the 2nd floor stairs is snowed in (somewhat) because it’s a north-facing door and the snow piled in on the landing there, even though it’s covered with a roof (open sides north and west).

      1. My SIL had to go out the window and we had all doors shoveled at 10:30 last night. The dog couldn’t wait any more.

        2. Good Morning Vicki 🙂 What a storm, eh! Hope you’all weathered it OK, without loss of power or significant property damage. My back screen door will not open, but we cleared the front doornight last night just in case of an emergency. I don’t plan to venture out with a shovel until the last flake has fallen 🙂 Reading a great book in the meantime 🙂 Stay Safe!!!

  332. I had to go out to shovel path for dog and we are on a private way with a fire hydrant thank goodness. The snow is too deep!! OS must be in heaven!!!

    1. It really is still piling up out there, isn’t it? Radar seems to show that band just hanging over us.

  338. Good morning all.

    No power here since 10:30pm last night, but the fireplace has downstairs comfortably warm.

    Guessing 15 to 20 inches on the level, but the drifts are 3 to 4 ft.

    Small tree in our front yard is snapped in half.

    Friend has tree fallen on car down the road. He and is family are fine !

    Seemed like one wind max thru about 3am, then kind of less wind, now seems wind is cranking up again.

      1. Thanks North. I’m worried about the tide as well, particularly in Scituate, Cape Cod Bay (which must be enduring a massive search) and the Marshfield villages of Humarock and Brant Rock.

  340. I’ve got this awesome drift in my yard that’s about 150′ long with an average height of 4-5 feet. Looks like a giant swell at the beach.

    1. Can you take a photo? I know it’s hard to make stuff like that show up as impressively as it looks in person.

  342. I just recieved this news alert, but no street name was mentioned.
    Winthrop Mass – water running like river down street

    1. I lived there back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I forget the year but there was a March storm that was just like that. We lived about 300 yards from the beach. Water (knee deep) was running down our street. People were picking lobsters, etc out of the water. Pretty Wild.

      1. Crazy wild! Is your area in Hingham being asked to evacuate? I just read that areas from Hull to Sandwich are being evacuated. Looks like this tide is going to cause significant flooding, beach erosion and property damage in those areas.

  343. Hi guys, been up all night dealing with worse storm I ever worked. Wow what a storm , guessing 20 at work. I have no idea when I’ll be home. It seems to have stopped, I hope. No power at home and tree damage.

    1. Good luck John! Stay safe. I guess it’s an understatement to say you’ll never forget this one.

    1. You usually get 2 or 3 big ones within a week. That’s the second after the Solomon Islands quake. Nothing new there.

  346. TK I assume you kept power as well? Love that my roof is mostly clear…waiting for this darn thing to move the heck on…hate lingering storms. Go already!

  348. It’s hard to measure but was consistently 23-25 in the areas most protected. We can no longer see the fire hydrant in our front yard

  350. stocked up on a hole bunch of wood and everything for the fire place but its more for decoration since we had not lost power and probably will not loose power do to the fact that the wind is ding down and this thing will be done around 10am to 12pm areas east of i95 could still see snow bands through the afternon.
    parts of salisbury/ Salisbury Beach are under mandatory evactuations.

    1. Coming down in buckets!!!

      I won’t be going out until after I eat lunch. Then I’ll be at it for a long
      time!!! Snow depths are incredible. From inside very difficult to estimate.
      2 feet for certain. 30 inches? Not out of the question.

      I’ll take some detailed measurements a little later.

      Impressive storm. The NAM may have been overcooked, but it certainly was onto the right idea. And shall we praise the KING Euro! How many days
      away did it predict this monster?? 7-8 days? or longer?

      Never lost power. They blinked a couple of times around midnight or so.

        1. OS just did some measurement and came up with 31, 29.6 and 32.7 inches in 3 areas that are somewhat decent at this point.

          Snowing in buckets right now

  352. With TK’s approval, I would like to submit for consideration the first ever Woods Hill Weather Amendment. (It will require 2/3rds approval) A Yay or Nay vote is required.

    “From this day forward, 2/9/13, the GFS Model will never be used or mentioned again, for it will lead the projections of this weather colony astray.”

    Tom – YAY !!!

    3. LOL Tom what are you burning on that fire? 😉

      Besides if we pretend the GFS doesn’t exist it will be one less model to make fun of. The NOGAPS can’t take all the heat by itself!

    2. These final bands do tend to be intense as they pass off the coast. I wonder why that is. Maybe a final convergence btwn the departing storm and the incoming high ?

  355. Hadi. Enjoy that snow band. That could be the last one. Perhaps a lighter one behind it. 27 inches here in Westwood and snow ending. Great storm! Great job TK! We won’t see another one like this for a long long time. Glad everyone is safe 😀

    1. “We won’t see another one like this for a long long time.” Careful a-rod. That phrase was spoken on January 20 1978 in this very house by my brother. 🙂

  359. 99% of Quincy without power, including us. We had lots of flickers, a few seconds out, and then it went out for good at 10:30. The house is getting cold.

  363. What’s up with this travel band? Do they ticket you or something? I have to find a place to get more gas. I also my hive to pick up my mom. Her heat is out. Does anyone know what will happen?

    2. I read if they stop you and you have a good reason they don’t care…if you need gas for your generator, that’s legit. Tell them you need power so you can go online and donate to the local police fund. 🙂

    1. I have been suspicious of reports from there for a long time now.
      Many reports make no sense at all. In fact, I wonder if you didn’t have
      your fan out there for that 76 mph wind gust! 😀 😀 😀

  366. Good morning mates – looking at 26″ or so in Sherborn!

    Good news is generator was not needed, bad news is at some point my snowblower leaked all of the gas I added to the tank last night and is inoperable – cracked fuel line or gasket?!? Going old school with the shovel, will be back in 3 or 4 hours.

    Hope anyone without power can get to someplace warm.

  367. Travel ban still in effect and may stay in effect for another day. Up to 1 year in jail and/or $500 fine.

  370. Sun coming out. Still light snow with the disk behind it.

    Looks like we’re going to stand pat out here at 32″.

    1. I like that measurement for my spot in Worcester, too. Seriously impossible for me to get a good number. The entire front yard is a solid 4′ deep. The drifts in between the cars are reaching my shoulders, so probably 4.75′. Back yard ranges from 1′ to 2.5′. Deck is clear. Drift in front of my bedroom window is at least 8′ high — I can only see out the very top. This is AWESOME! I was still ten years from even becoming a zygote in ’78. This must be my generation’s snowstorm for the ages!

      If that travel ban is in still effect, sure looks like this wedding I’m supposed to attend at 5:30 won’t be happening after all. Boo, hiss. Open bar, too. Such a shame. 😉

      1. Yeah, the drifts are awesome. I’m not even going to clear the driveway until tomorrow. I don’t feel like doing it twice today with the wind and all.

        Wedding, oh no.

        Tough to plan weddings in the winter in New England. Too much risk for me.

        1. I’m currently planning my wedding. Going for May 2014 – hopefully no monster snowstorms by that time of year!

          My fiance, knowing how much I love wild weather, managed to propose during a whipping, rainy, high-surf Cat 1 hurricane on a beach in the Caribbean over the summer. Perfection!

  371. So, is that band of snow over western MA likely to make it east? Radar makes it look kind of like it’s starting to fade out a little bit.

    Trying to figure out how much more we’re likely to get, and when it’ll be all over with.

    1. Ch 5’s AJ did note that there would be some brightening behind this band but one more band of moderate snow would move in after that.

  374. Went out about 30 minutes ago to survey the scene. Walking along our walkway the average snow depth was slightly above my knees….22 inches. Now this is where I had previously shoveled last night…appx 10-12 inches had fallen by then. So by my very unscientific calculations (and taking a little off the top) I would have to say that 30 inches was reached here in Hingham. Still snowing here with some heavy bursts of snow and wind.

  376. Unbelievable, this last outer snow band will not relinquish its grasp on us! Still snowing heavy in Coventry, ct. Just under 33″ now. I’ve been outside with my son trying to cut down the 5 foot drift in front of my garage door!

  377. What I find interesting is that despite the fact that cars were off the road I didn’t see as many as I thought there be. Overall they seem to be doing a good job on my street (a main road in Hingham). Not down to bare ground but a packed hard 3 or 4 inches.

  379. My goodness – so much drama on the NEWW Facebook page! TK, I’m so glad you don’t get heated when people question your forecasts. You’re always cool, calm and rational. Thanks for that!

    1. My forecasts will never be perfect. It’s impossible. And I expect to be questioned. It comes with the territory. I get ruffled if somebody is being uncivil or unfair sometimes, especially the unfair part. Uncivil ppl are usually just trolls anyway and not worth my time.

      My style will never change. I go for honesty and no unnecessary hype.

  380. Quick note about that line of snow in western ma. Chicopee Falls, Orange, and Windsor Locks are all reporting dry conditions and good visibility so I dont think it is making it to the ground.

    I will be back later with a post-mortem. I went with an average accumulation of about 22″ for the major SNE cities of Boston, Providence, Worcester, Springfield and Hartford at least at their official reporting stations. Not sure how that will verify. Certainly mistakes made and to learn from. Though timing worked out real well.

    Jackpot was probably 90 mi west in CT compared to where I thought.

    Would love to hear from people who have reliable 30+ measurements. I know good measuring can be tough with all the blowing.

    NAM was still overcooked. Remember it wanted 36-to as much as 60 just 36 hours out from storm. GFS did under perform on precip but was near perfect with timing. GFS did a great job compared to NAM last winter so I cant discount it. Besides I base all my forecasts off of the JMA/NOGAPS

    1. 😀 That’s Pretty Funny. Now is that the Japanese Model JMA OR
      your own personal proprietary model, JMA? 😀

      1. Thanks JMA.

        Now we can take the JMA model seriously O.S.

        Also, I’m a trained weather spotter and took real care with measuring last night including as much protection as possible from wind etc…

        Called in a total of 32″ for Holden.

      2. JMA is actually the JMA model. The Japanese technology was so advanced they built in a personality in the model. The secret’s out now! 😉

      1. That being said I just went out and measured in several different places…windward side…leeward side and other spots and my average does come out to right about 29 inches. I did clear away spots like Mark did. Will be interesting to see what others (Coastal, TJ, etc) in the same area come up with.

      1. I am also a trained spotter and measured in numerous places, occasionally clearing the snow to avoid issues with compaction. Amazing storm!

  384. Hey, did you guys see the 12Z GFS for Thursday. 🙂

    It’ll be close maybe.

    …….I really need to be productive at work this week.

    1. All I ask is two things… no snow on 2/28 specifically (for a vacation flight out of Logan) and a slow melt of whatever we get this month (so we don’t get basement flooding in March).

  385. Not sure about accurate JMA but I gave it my best shot maybe OS can confirm,

    3 spots That I did earlier came in at 30.1, 32.8 and 32.4 at 11:30.

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