DAYS 1-5 (JANUARY 5-9)
Our first significant winter storm with frozen precipitation as the main player is on the way and will have a significant impact on the first weekend of 2024. But before we get there, we have a bright but cold Friday ahead. Gusty winds that are taking wind chill readings to around 10 will ease up later today, taking the edge off the cold, but we will have plenty of sun. Tonight will be another cold one, but this time without the biting wind. Saturday’s bright early sun will become filtered then fade behind increasing high cloudiness. This is in advance of the aforementioned winter storm. Detailing this event is next, keeping in mind a few tweaks can still follow. Expecting a low pressure area to emerge off the Mid Atlantic Coast Saturday evening and then become an elongated low center as it passes just to the southeast of New England during the entirety of Sunday. There are two upper level boosts of energy for this system, the first one to give the initial batch of precipitation some enhancement as it overspreads the region Saturday night (late evening / overnight from southwest to northeast), and a second one coming along during Sunday afternoon, with a slight regionwide lull in between. In addition, an east wind to the north of the low pressure area, with high pressure in southeastern Canada, will drag low level warmth in off the ocean, making it harder for precipitation to stay as snow along the coast and especially over Cape Cod for at least the first part of the precipitation. As the low center starts to move more to the east and eventually gets to a position more southeast of the region, the wind will start to turn more northerly and drag colder air in further south and east with time. Also, with the first area, we have to watch for some heavier snow banding quite a distance from the low center as we can sometimes see. These factors make for a potentially complex pattern of snowfall accumulation. The overall idea though is that the first part of the storm may produce the majority of the accumulation we see north and west of Boston, while the latter portion of the storm would produce most of and in some cases all of the snowfall accumulation for locations south and southeast. Cape Cod, for example, can start as a mix or rain, and stay that way for many hours with no accumulating snowfall until as late as the middle of the day on Sunday, but still end up with a couple inches of snowfall at the end. Keeping all of this in mind, when reading my snowfall accumulation forecast break-down, remember that these are for the storm as a whole. Current expectations are: Up to 1 inch mainly late in storm Outer Cape Cod and Nantucket, 1-3 inches Mid Cape Cod to immediate MA/RI South Coast, and outer tip of Cape Ann MA, 3-6 inches remainder of Cape Ann MA, MA North Shore including Boston, MA South Shore to Providence RI area and southeastern CT, and 6-10 inches for the balance of the region including all of southern NH, and generally west of I-95 in the majority of eastern MA away from the coast, northwestern RI, and east central to northeastern CT, through central MA as well, with isolated bands of 10-12 inches possible favoring higher elevations of central MA and southwestern NH. Low pressure finally pulls away Sunday evening with any lingering snow ending. I’m not expecting huge wind impacts from this system, with maximum potential wind gusts of 30-50 MPH confined mostly to Cape Cod which will be closest to the deepening low center as it starts to pull away. This may lead to some minor coastal flooding and wind damage in that area. The power outage risk is not as great as a recent wind and rain storm, but exists in areas that will see a heavier and wetter snow for the first part of the storm, mainly I-95 eastward. Behind this system comes a tranquil winter day on Monday with lots of sun but cold air. Monday night will get quite cold as light winds over a snow cover combine with clear sky to produce good radiational cooling. Our El Nino pattern will keep us on our toes as the expected active pattern of January goes on, sending another storm our way with increasing clouds Tuesday and another precipitation threat by the end of the day. We’ll look at this in more detail next update.
TODAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 33-40. Wind NW 5-15 MPH with higher gusts, diminishing during the afternoon.
TONIGHT: Clear. Lows 17-24. Wind N under 10 MPH.
SATURDAY: Sunshine followed by increasing clouds. Highs 33-40. Wind N up to 10 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Clouds thicken. Snow arrives overnight but may start as mix/rain coastal areas. Lows 28-35. Wind NE 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY: Overcast with snow likely except snow or rain coastal locations especially south of Boston until midday before those areas go over to snow. Highs 33-40 occurring in the morning, then falling temperatures in the afternoon. Wind E 10-20 MPH with gusts above 30 MPH in coastal areas especially Cape Cod through midday, then shifting to N 5-15 MPH except 15-25 MPH coastal areas during the afternoon.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with lingering light snow showers in the evening. Clearing overnight. Lows 18-25. Wind NW 5-15 MPH but higher gusts.
MONDAY: Sunny. Highs 31-38. Wind NW 5-15 MPH.
MONDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 12-19. Wind calm.
TUESDAY: Increasing clouds. Rain/mix/snow possible by late day or at night. Highs 33-40. Wind calm becoming E 5-15 MPH.
DAYS 6-10 (JANUARY 10-14)
Active pattern. Storm system impacts the region January 10 with most likely track just to our west with the precipitation ending up as mainly rain before drier air arrives along with plenty of wind. More detail on this system to come. Another storm threat exists by late in the period (around next weekend) which may be in a colder set-up and have a better chance of including snow.
DAYS 11-15 (JANUARY 15-19)
Fair weather to start. Next storm signal is in the January 18-19 window. Temperatures variable, but near to above normal for the period.