DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 16-20)

Today will start cloudy as a low pressure area that brought some wet weather last night moves off to the east, but will clear out as high pressure builds in from the west. Low pressure passing south of the region will return clouds to the region Thursday, and eventually some wet weather over southern and eastern areas later in the day into the evening hours. Friday’s set-up will be similar to today’s but the high pressure area building in behind the departing low will be a little further south, so areas that do not develop a sea breeze will warm up quite nicely, before high pressure in eastern Canada sends a frontal boundary through the region turning the wind northeast to east for Friday night into Saturday. At the same time low pressure will move through from the west bringing an episode of wet weather. This system will move off to the east and drier weather will arrive during Sunday, although it will be cool and breezy that day to welcome the arrival of spring. The vernal equinox occurs at 11:33 a.m. EDT Sunday.

TODAY: Cloudy start, then increasing sun. Highs 50-57, but cooler in some coastal areas. Wind N to W up to 10 MPH but local sea breeze possible at the coast.

TONIGHT: Mostly clear, then clouds return. Lows 36-43. Wind S under 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of light rain midday and afternoon favoring eastern CT, RI, and southeastern MA. Highs 47-54. Wind S shifting to E up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Evening light rain/drizzle possible southern and eastern areas. Areas of fog. Lows 38-45. Wind NE-N up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Lots of clouds early then more sun. Highs 55-62 coast, 63-70 inland. Wind variable up to 10 MPH including coastal sea breezes.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Clouding up. Chance of rain overnight. Lows 40-47. Wind NE up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Cloudy. Chance of rain. Highs 47-54. Wind E to variable 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Breaking clouds. Lows 32-39. Wind W 5-15 MPH, gusty.

SUNDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 52-59. Wind W 10-20 MPH, gusty.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 21-25)

Overall pattern leaves us near a battle zone between lingering Canadian cold and early spring warmth to the south. A fair, milder start to the period here likely gives way to unsettled weather mid period then drying, cooler weather late in the period.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 26-30)

We’ll continue in a battle zone between southeastern USA warmth and Canadian cold, leaving us vulnerable to a couple episodes of unsettled weather late in the month.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-16-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 15-19)

Low pressure passes north of our area today and its cold front will drop southward into the region later today through tonight with a few rain showers possible. This front pushes to the south on Wednesday which will be fair and slightly cooler. Low pressure passes south of the region later Thursday bringing some rainfall to especially southern and eastern areas. Friday’s forecast is uncertain, as we may be dealing with leftover clouds and a light northerly air flow behind the Thursday system to start the day, and a fairly weak pressure gradient between that low, a stronger low approaching the Great Lakes, with high pressure in between to our south will allow for the development of an onshore breeze if the sky clears out between Thursday’s system and the next approaching low pressure area. Friday looks like a fair weather day, but it may not see as widespread warmth as you have seen advertised in many forecasts. By Saturday, the aforementioned low approaching will be moving in with more wet weather.

TODAY: Variably cloudy. A late-day rain shower possible southern NH and northern MA. Highs 44-51 South Coast, 51-58 elsewhere but may fall back to the upper 40s eastern coastal areas. Wind SW up to 10 MPH except coastal sea breezes in the afternoon.

TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Rain showers likely southern NH and northern MA. Chance of a few rain showers southern MA southward. Lows 35-42. Wind variable to N up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Early clouds, then sun returns. Highs 45-52. Wind N to E up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds. Lows 35-42. Wind SE up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of light rain midday and afternoon favoring eastern CT, RI, and southeastern MA. Chance of coastal drizzle. Highs 45-52. Wind E up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Evening light rain/drizzle possible southern and eastern areas. Areas of fog. Lows 38-45. Wind NE-N up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Highs 53-60 southern NH and northern MA as well as South Coast, 61-68 in between these areas. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain overnight. Lows 40-47. Wind NE up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Cloudy. Chance of rain. Highs 47-54. Wind variable 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 20-24)

Drying/cooler March 20-21 in time for the arrival of spring (vernal equinox 11:33 a.m. March 20). Fair, milder mid period. Unsettled, cooler late period.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 25-29)

We’ll sit in a battle zone between southeastern USA warmth and Canadian cold, leaving us vulnerable to a couple episodes of unsettled weather late in the month.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-15-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 14-18)

An area of high pressure offshore to our east today starts our next week with fair and milder weather. Some cloudiness will be rolling across the sky especially this morning and maybe some more in parts of the region later in the day in response to this warmer air moving in, but we will stay rain-free. Tuesday, a cold front trailing a weak low pressure area passing to our north will drop southward during the afternoon and evening and then another small wave of low pressure will ride along that frontal boundary as it sits over our South Coast region at night. This means dry and mild weather but with clouds moving in during the day, then cooler weather with a period or two of rain at night, but it may be just cold enough so that this rain can mix with some wet snow across southern NH, although if that does happen I’m expecting no accumulation. That little low pressure wave will have exited by early Wednesday, but it will serve to push that frontal boundary to the south a bit more and result in slightly cooler but fair weather conditions. Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day, may end up featuring weather somewhat similar to what Ireland frequently is like as an area of low pressure passing by to the south gets close enough to induce an onshore wind with lots of clouds, cooler air, and some damp weather as some rain may reach us from that low and/or some drizzle may develop from the onshore air flow, especially in coastal locations. If that low is a bit further south, we stay dry and just see some clouds. Friday, that low is moving away while another low pressure area heads from the Midwest into the Great Lakes and tries to drag it’s warm front across our area. If this happens, we warm up nicely that day. However, at this time of year these fronts can have difficulty moving fully through the region, and depending on how strong that departed low is offshore, and how much a little nose of high pressure from eastern Canada can push southward, at least parts of our region could end up much cooler than a lot of computer guidance and some forecasts currently advertise. For the moment, my leaning is for the cooler scenario, but with most rainfall from that Great Lakes low pressure area staying away for the daytime hours.

TODAY: Early and late clouds, most sun in between. Highs 47-54. Wind S-SW up to 10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy evening. Mostly cloudy overnight. Lows 35-42.Wind S-SW up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs 44-51 South Coast, 51-58 elsewhere. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Some light rain possible, even potential for mixed precipitation (rain/sleet/snow) in southern NH and northern MA. Lows 32-39. Wind variable to N up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Early clouds, then sun returns. Highs 45-52. Wind N to E up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds. Lows 35-42. Wind SE up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of light rain midday and afternoon southern areas. Chance of coastal drizzle. Highs 45-52. Wind E up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Evening light rain/drizzle possible southern and eastern areas. Areas of fog. Lows 38-45. Wind NE-N up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Highs 53-60 southern NH and northern MA as well as South Coast, 61-68 in between these areas. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 19-23)

Low pressure passing to north brings a frontal boundary through the region with a chance of rain showers early March 19 followed by drier and cooler weather for the balance of the weekend of March 19-20, with the vernal equinox occurring at 11:33 a.m. on Sunday March 20. Another unsettled weather system is possible with passing low pressure later in the period.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 24-28)

We’ll sit in a battle zone between southeastern USA warmth and Canadian cold, leaving us vulnerable to a couple episodes of unsettled weather late in the month.

C-19 Chat Post – March 3-14-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 13-17)

Despite the met-bashing I’ve been witnessing around the net this morning, I feel that yesterday’s event behaved as expected, for the most part. Not sure what people were looking for, but I think most people got what they were forecast to get, within a reasonable margin of error. I mean, somebody may have gotten 3.7 inches of snow when they were in a 1-3 inch area, but hey, it happens! Now that storm has moved away and blasted in some cold air for today, but it will only be around for today before we moderate nicely to start the week as high pressure builds in Monday. A disturbance passing north of us on Tuesday will push its cold front southeastward into the region later in the day and into the night, and that front likely comes to a halt and may allow for some unsettled weather for several hours. I’m not sold that this is just rain, as just enough cold air may sneak down for some mixing in northern portions of the WHW forecast area, so that’s going to be something to keep an eye on. That boundary lifts north again Wednesday and high pressure is close enough to provide us with a pleasant late astronomical winter / early meteorological spring day. When we get to Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day in case you want to get your green garments ready, we’ll find ourselves between two disturbances – a low pressure area to the south that may get close enough to bring rain to the South Coast, and a weaker disturbance passing to the north which should keep most of its moisture there. For me, at day 5, the safe bet is to add clouds to the forecast and include the chance of a bit of wet weather for the South Coast, but ultimately this system may end up further south and not a factor, so watch for potential forecast adjustments we as go through the next few days…

TODAY: Sunshine, few passing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, gusts up to 30 MPH, diminishing later.

TONIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 35-42. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 51-58 except cooler South Coast / Cape Cod. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Some light rain possible, even potential for mixed precipitation (rain/sleet/snow) in southern NH and northern MA. Lows 31-38. Wind variable to NE up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Early clouds, then sun returns. Highs 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds. Lows 35-42. Wind SE up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Variably cloudy. Some rain possible South Coast. Highs 47-54. Wind variable to E up to 10 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 18-22)

Zonal flow pattern – but near boundary of cold Canada and warm Southeast US. Disturbance brings rain threat March 18, a switch to breezy/chilly weather March 19, then a potential rain/mix/snow event sometime mid to late period. The vernal equinox – the astronomical beginning of spring – occurs at 11:33 a.m. on Sunday March 20.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 23-27)

Despite what looks to be a continued fairly low amplitude zonal flow pattern overall, we will see some battling of early spring warmth to our south and lingering cold of winter to our north, leaving us vulnerable to temperature changes and a couple bouts of unsettled weather once again.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-13-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 12-16)

The final full weekend of winter brings a stormy Saturday and blustery Sunday to our region. There are not really any adjustments to be made regarding today’s storm system. The trend we’d seen east on all guidance settled to a stop and we have a frontal boundary pressing eastward through the area today while up along it will rocket a developing low pressure area. The whole “bomb cyclone” thing has been mentioned, but I don’t really feel there was a need for the term this time – nor do I really ever feel there is since I don’t like it as it’s used as a hype tool, and has no real value in meteorological discussion. Yes, the low pressure area will start to intensify rapidly, and probably will deepen about 24-25 mb in 24 hours from now to early Sunday, but it goes by us later today as a moderately strong low, passing over the Cape Cod area. The “bomb-out” aspect adds to our blustery winds for tonight and Sunday, but doesn’t have much of an impact on our sensible weather today. Often, the public upon hearing that term will then be lead to believe in all aspects the event is going to be maximum potential. This is why further explanation, clarification, and probably just leaving the stupid term out is a better approach. So onto that further explanation about our sensible weather. We’re mild, and this starts as rain for us today, along with some areas of fog, some areas with fairly dense fog in fact. The rain is in more showery form here initially, and will solidify a bit more as the boundary moves through and the low center organizes as it moves by the region later today. During this time, colder air is waiting just behind the frontal boundary to turn the rain over to snow from west to east, with a narrow strip of sleet in some areas where the colder air gets in at the surface first. But as this process takes places, we’ll be getting ready to lose the main moisture / precipitation, so this is going to significantly limit how much snow can fall. The vast majority of the WHW forecast area is going to see insignificant flakes with little accumulation limited to colder surfaces, while once you get to hills over the interior you can see up to around 1 inch on mainly unpaved surfaces, with a maximum potential of 2 or 3 inches possible in central MA and southwestern NH. A more significant snowfall will take place west of the WHW area, from the Berkshires into the mountains of northern New England from this one – which will be good news for ski areas. Once that low has accelerated through the Gulf of Maine and into the Maritime Provinces of Canada tonight and Sunday we will experience the feel of mid winter with cold air and gusty wind, offset a little bit on Sunday by the higher March sun angle. And don’t forget to give up your hour of sleep tonight by turning clocks that don’t auto-set forward one hour (officially 2:00 a.m. EST becomes 3:00 a.m. EDT) Sunday morning as we switch from standard to daylight saving time. Behind the weekend fun, we ease things up as the jet stream becomes more zonal (west to east) early next week with cold air locked in Canada and milder Pacific air overtaking much of the US. For us this means milder weather with mostly fair conditions Monday through Wednesday, except for the chance of a passing rain shower sometime Tuesday as a disturbance passing to the north pushes a frontal boundary across the area.

TODAY: Overcast. Rain showers and areas of fog during the morning. Steadier rain for a while midday into afternoon, briefly to sleet in some aras before turning to snow and snow showers from west to east with accumulation 1 inch or less by evening, except 1-3 inches possible in southwestern NH to central MA. Highs 38-45 except 45-52 coast early morning, falling gradually from west to east during the day so all areas are in the 30-37 range by late. Wind variable up to 10 MPH becoming N-NW increasing to 10-20 MPH late.

TONIGHT: Variably cloudy. Chance of snow showers evening. Lows 18-25. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts over 30 MPH. Wind chill falling below 10.

SUNDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts over 30 MPH. Wind chill below 10 in the morning.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 35-42. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Variably cloudy. Chance of a rain shower. Highs 51-58 except cooler South Coast / Cape Cod. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 32-39. Wind NW 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 46-53. Wind NW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 17-21)

Zonal flow pattern continues for the balance of next week with a lack of temperature extremes. We’ll have to watch for low pressure to the south and a disturbance to the north to start the period and may end up between them with fair weather, but a couple of disturbances can still pass by during the course of this time with some minor precipitation events. No major storms foreseen, even though it’s too early to determine much in the way of detail. The vernal equinox – the astronomical beginning of spring – occurs at 11:33 a.m. on Sunday March 20.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 22-26)

Despite what looks to be a continued fairly low amplitude zonal flow pattern overall, we will see some battling of early spring warmth to our south and lingering cold of winter to our north, leaving us vulnerable to temperature changes and a couple bouts of unsettled weather heading into late March.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-12-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 11-15)

A quick note for early morning readers: There are some fog and freezing fog areas over parts of southeastern MA and RI and some of this is resulting in black ice. There are also patches of black ice where yesterday’s snowmelt did not dry up completely, so keep an eye out for that until about mid morning. After that any fog will be gone and the temperature will have risen enough to eliminate any icing issue. For the remainder of today, high pressure now offshore will allow an increasing southerly air flow and we’ll turn milder with more clouds, but still some sun as well – not a bad day. There are some adjustments to the details of the impact of our Saturday storm system. The boundary that this developing low will be moving along is going to be further east and moving with less delay than previously expected. So the low center, previously expected to be turning quite strong as it tracked just west of our area, will in fact be strengthening a little more slowly as it tracks across far southeastern New England (probably Cape Cod), and intensifying more rapidly just after it passes. The end result is less wind ahead of it, and an event that does start as rain for the entire region, but has a rain/snow line that progresses eastward during the course of the event. However, the bulk of the moisture will have already come through as this process takes place, so this will limit how much snow falls, even back to the west where amounts will be greater than to the east. Still, a quick temperature drop as the system departs can result in some freeze-up of untreated surfaces Saturday night into Sunday, so keep an eye out for that. Also, we’ll be dealing with much colder air and gusty wind into Sunday, despite a return to dry weather. The winds will settle down by Monday, which will be a dry and milder day as high pressure dominates. That high heads offshore Tuesday and a frontal system approaching from the west as its parent low moves by to our north may produce a rain shower Tuesday. Also, a reminder that at 2:00 a.m. Sunday we make the switch from standard time to daylight saving time.

TODAY: Areas of fog and freezing fog RI and southeastern MA early morning. Partly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW-S increasing to 5-15 MPH.

TONIGHT: Clouding over. Rain arriving overnight. Lows 40-47. Wind S-SE 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY: Cloudy. Rain, changing to snow from west to east during the day. Snow accumulation by evening up to 2 inches in higher elevations of southwestern NH and north central MA with generally a coating to 1 inch at most. Temperatures fall 40s to 30s. Wind SE-E 5-15 MPH early morning, shifting to N-NW 10-20 MPH except Cape Cod where they stay SE for longer before shifting later, with higher gusts possible.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Chance of snow showers evening. Lows 18-25. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts over 30 MPH. Wind chill falling below 10.

SUNDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts over 30 MPH. Wind chill below 10 in the morning.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 35-42. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Variably cloudy. Chance of a rain shower. Highs 51-58 except cooler South Coast / Cape Cod. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 16-20)

A little milder pattern overall but still some variability in temperatures. A couple of low pressure systems may bring some unsettled weather but it’s difficult to time these systems this far in advance. The vernal equinox occurs at 11:33 a.m. on Sunday March 20 – the start of spring.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 21-25)

We will continue to see some battling of early spring warmth to our south and lingering cold of winter to our north, leaving us vulnerable to temperature changes and a couple bouts of unsettled weather heading into late March.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-11-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 10-14)

Many parts of our region have a beautiful snowscape this morning with a light snowfall stuck to the trees, but not enough to result in any damage. Grab your camera now (early morning) because in a few short hours it will all be a memory thanks to the strengthening March sun and warming temperatures today under nearly full sunshine (just some passing fair weather clouds this morning and a few high clouds during the afternoon). High pressure moves overhead this evening when we’ll see a fairly quick temperature drop due to radiational cooling, but that drop will slow down overnight as the high moves offshore and a very light southerly air flow arrives. This trend continues Friday with a sun/cloud mix with some increase in high and mid level clouds ahead of our next storm system. That one will play out in a bit more dramatic fashion than its predecessor as low pressure moves rapidly north northeastward over the eastern US and passes right over our area while intensifying during Saturday. Initially it brings a shot of windy, milder air with a decent rainfall, but as it passes, cold air will be set to move in quickly, and may result in an accumulating snowfall in the far western and northwestern portions of the WHW forecast area (central MA and southwestern NH) with possibly a few snow showers making it a little further southeast as the end of the precipitation will generally beat the arrival of the colder air. But what nobody will miss out on is the strong and gusty winds that take place from late Saturday into Sunday behind the departing storm. Along with that, the cold air shot will be quite sharp for this time frame, and we’ll be experiencing single digit and even slightly below zero wind chills, especially during the first 10 hours of Sunday. Brr! Winter’s not quite done with us yet, as the experienced folks here know very well. But here’s some good news. That sharp cold shot is short lived, and by Monday we’ll at least have the feeling of early spring back as we lose the wind and boost the temperature about 15 degrees from Sunday’s readings…

TODAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 45-52. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 24-31. Wind calm evening, S up to 10 MPH overnight.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind S up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Clouding over. Rain likely overnight. Lows 40-47. Wind SE 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY: Cloudy. Rain through mid afternoon, heavy at times and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Rain turning to snow in southwestern NH and higher elevations of central MA later in the day with accumulation possible while rain ends as mix/snow showers late-day into evening further east. Highs 50-57 by midday and early afternoon but a sharp temperature drop west to east late-day. Wind SE-S 10-20 MPH with higher gusts, shifting to W by late in the day.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Chance of snow showers evening. Lows 18-25. Wind W-NW 15-30 MPH, gusts 35-55 MPH. Wind chill falling below 10, occasionally below 0.

SUNDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts 35-45 MPH, starting to diminish late. Wind chill below 10 in the morning.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 15-19)

While there will still be an active pattern overall, our weather will be quieter as we avoid major systems, seeing 1 or 2 more minor disturbances come through with variable temperatures and a couple precipitation threats during this period, favoring March 15 and late March 16 to early March 17.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 20-24)

We welcome spring with the equinox at 11:33 a.m. EDT on Sunday March 20 and a weather pattern that presents a temperature battle and a couple periods of unsettled weather, fairly typical for this time of year.

C-19 Chat Post – 3-10-2022

DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 9-13)

A wave of low pressure passing just south of New England will produce a late-season snowfall for us this afternoon and early evening. While a quick glance at model snowfall forecast numbers make the event “look” more impressive, as a forecaster there are many factors to take into account. First off, using the 10:1 snow map will not be helpful as the ratios for this event will probably be on the order of 5:1 or 6:1 (snow to water) except perhaps about 8:1 in the highest elevations of northwestern RI, central MA, and southwestern NH, where a few spotty 3 inch snowfall amounts may occur from a melted precipitation event of generally 0.10 to 0.40 inch. This leaves the accumulation generally about 1/2 to 2 inches for the region. With about 75% of this falling from early afternoon to sunset, during daylight, it battles the higher March sun angle which does send radiation through the overcast much more easily than it would have in January, meaning that unpaved surfaces will just be wet especially since air temperatures will be marginal. In fact, the air is marginal enough that the snow may actually not start as snow, but rain, or a mix, on its leading edge, and may transition back to rain before ending along parts of the South Coast especially Cape Cod / Islands. Precipitation ends early evening, when we have a short-lived opportunity to see some untreated surfaces cover over with slushy snow then freeze up as the temperature goes down a little further below freezing later at night. That will be the greatest hazard we face during and after this event. Thursday, anything that has fallen will vanish as we see a return to sun and temperatures reaching or exceeding 50F as high pressure builds in. This high will give way gradually to an increase in cloud cover on Friday ahead of a warm front, which extends from our next storm system to deal with. This one, set to mess up the first half of the weekend, will bring a wind and rain event late Friday night through most of Saturday. There’s still a bit of a question on the exact track of the low, but even a track bringing it overhead would still mean a mainly rain event even for interior sections of the WHW forecast area, although a flip to snow or snow showers can occur at the end, depending on the arrival of cold air versus departure of precipitation. This little detail still has to be refined as we get closer to the event. Regardless, expect at least a moderate to possibly heavy rainfall event and some potential wind issues. This will be followed by a shot of cold and more wind, but with dry weather to finish off the weekend on Sunday and the last full weekend of the astronomical winter season. Sunday also marks the switch to Daylight Saving Time when we move the clocks forward at 2:00 a.m. ST which becomes 3:00 am. DT. Keep that in mind for your clocks that don’t automatically adjust themselves. I’ll remind you again… 🙂

TODAY: Overcast. Snow moves in from south to north, may start as rain/mix briefly in some areas. Highs 32-39. Wind N-NE up to 10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Cloudy with snow tapering off evening, maybe as a mix with rain South Coast again. Snow accumulation 1/2 to 2 inches mainly on unpaved surfaces, with a local 3 inch amount possible interior higher elevations. Areas of ice forming on untreated surfaces. Breaking clouds overnight. Lows 27-34. Wind N-NW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 45-52. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 24-31. Wind W under 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Clouding over. Rain likely overnight. Lows 40-47. Wind SE 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with rain likely through midday. Rain ending with breaking clouds later in the day. Highs 50-57 but may fall sharply late in the day. Wind SE-S 10-20 MPH with higher gusts, shifting to W by late in the day.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Chance of snow showers evening. Lows 18-25. Wind W-NW 15-25 MPH, higher gusts.

SUNDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, higher gusts.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 14-18)

While there will still be an active pattern overall, our weather will be quieter as we avoid major systems, seeing 1 or 2 more minor disturbances come through with variable temperatures and a couple precipitation threats during this period, favoring March 15 and 18.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 19-23)

End winter / start spring (equinox 11:33 a.m. EDT March 20) will be fairly typical with tug-of-war temperature pattern and some unsettled weather at times, but too early to really pin-point anything in detail.