Accumulating Snow Is Expected For Thursday Night Into Friday Across All Of Western & Central Mass

First of all - I'M SORRY in advance for this forecast of accumulating snow!! This is the type of April forecast that I don't like to or don't want to write!! This Afternoon: Quiet weather is expected for this afternoon with sunny skies expected to become partly sunny skies by mid-afternoon. In addition, a late day isolated shower is possible in some areas. Temperatures this afternoon will be between 65 and 70 Degrees. Tonight: Skies are expected to become cloudy this evening with some scattered shower activity expected well after midnight tonight. Low temperatures tonight will be between 40 and 45 Degrees. Thursday: An area of low pressure is expected to take shape off of the Mid-Atlantic coast during the day on Thursday. This is going to be a slow progressing system and this means that much of the morning may be dry across Central Mass while it rains across much of Western Mass. Rain is then expected to overspread Central Mass by early to mid-afternoon Thursday. The warmest temperatures of the day Thursday are expected to occur in the morning with temperatures in the mid 40s expected. Temperatures are then expected to gradually fall into the low 40s during the afternoon. Accumulating Snow Is Expected For Thursday Night Into Friday Across All Of Western Mass & Much Of Central Mass: That low pressure system is expected to strengthen on Thursday night into Friday as it heads from offshore of the Mid-Atlantic coast to Nantucket. This is going to be a very energetic and very dynamic system that packs a lot of moisture. In addition, the track of the low pressure system is such that it will be able to pull down some cold air leading to the likelihood of accumulating snow across the entire area. With that said, this is still a very, very difficult forecast as the smallest changes in either the storm track, surface temperatures or moisture feed could mean the difference between mostly all rain for many and a widespread significant snowfall across much of the area. Here Are My Latest Thoughts - A changeover from rain to snow looks to occur first across the Berkshires and across areas along and north of Route 2 during Thursday evening. By midnight, it is expected to be snowing across much of Western Mass, except the lower Pioneer Valley where it’ll probably still be raining or a rain-snow mix. Across Central Mass, it is likely to be snowing by midnight Thursday night across the Worcester Hills, but raining or a rain-snow mix elsewhere across Central Mass. Turning to the time period from after midnight Thursday night into Friday morning, snow is expected to be occurring across much of, if not all of Western Mass, including the entire Pioneer Valley. Across Central Mass, the proximity of the low pressure system to the area leads me to think that it may be a rain or rain-snow mix along and south of the Mass Pike and snow north of the Mass Pike. Depending on how quickly this low pressure system strengthens and how much dynamics are involved, there could be a period of moderate to heavy snow across mostly Western Mass as well as across the northern Worcester Hills from just before midnight Thursday night to about sunrise Friday morning. The precipitation is expected to lighten up significantly in intensity during Friday afternoon and I expect that it will probably be a rain-snow mix. I want to emphasize once more that this is a very, very tough forecast in terms of precipitation type and how much snow actually accumulates. One factor that could lead to a few to several inches of wet, heavy snow to accumulate is the fact that it will be night when much of the snow accumulates and there will be no solar insulation involved that would otherwise melt the snow on contact. Also, any periods of moderate to heavy snow would also “override” any melting involved due to the warm ground leading to the snow to accumulate rather quickly. My Forecast Snow Total Map For Thursday Night Into Friday Can Be Found Below:

I continue to monitor this storm closely and will continue to keep you updated.

Snow Is Becoming More Likely For Thursday Night Into Friday Across Western & Central Mass

Partly sunny skies are expected for This Afternoonwith partly sunny skies also expected all day Wednesday across Western and Central Mass. Temperatures this afternoon will be near 65 Degrees and high temperatures Wednesday will be between 65 and 70 Degrees. On Thursday, an area of low pressure is expected to take shape near the Maryland coastline. Rain is expected to begin by mid to late morning across Western Mass and by late morning to early afternoon across Central Mass. Rain will then continue across the entire area throughout Thursday afternoon. Temperatures on Thursday will be much cooler with readings between 40 and 45 Degrees expected. Snow Is Likely For Thursday Night Into Friday Across Western & Central Mass: That low pressure system is expected to strengthen to the south of Long Island on Thursday night and then move slowly to the east on Friday. As this low pressure system strengthens, it will cause colder air to be pulled southward into Western and Central Mass. This is a setup that will need to be watched with extreme scrutiny as it’s quite possible that accumulating snow could occur across all of Western and Central Mass, both in the hills and in the valleys. A changeover from rain to snow looks to occur first across the Berkshires, the Worcester Hills and the Hilltowns of Western Mass during Thursday evening with the rain then changing to snow across the rest of Western and Central Mass, including the Pioneer Valley and the Blackstone Valley after midnight Thursday night. Depending on how quickly this low pressure system strengthens and how much dynamics are involved, there could be a period of moderate to heavy snow across the entire area from about 2 to 3 am to about 8 am Friday morning. Snow then continues for a while on Friday morning before it lightens up intensity and mixes with rain during Friday afternoon. The snow-rain mix with then come to an end during Friday evening. As I mentioned yesterday, this is going to be a very tough forecast in terms of precipitation type and how much snow actually accumulates. One factor that could lead to a few to several inches of wet, heavy snow to accumulate is the fact that it will be night when much of the snow accumulates and there will be no solar insulation involved that would otherwise melt the snow on contact. Also, any periods of moderate to heavy snow would also “override” any melting involved due to the warm ground leading to the snow to accumulate rather quickly. Here Are My Thoughts On Total Snow Accumulations For Thursday Night Into Friday: The highest snow amounts are probably going to occur in the Berkshires, the northern Worcester Hills and the western hilltowns of Western Mass with 3 to 6 inches of wet, heavy snow possible with higher amounts possible. Elsewhere across Western and Central Mass, the rest of the Worcester Hills and the eastern Hilltowns of Western Mass may end up with 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulations. As for the Pioneer Valley and the Blackstone Valley, 1 to 2 inches of snow accumulation is currently possible. With that said, we will have to watch for the possibility of higher amounts across all areas of Western and Central Mass, especially where this will be a wet and heavy snow that could lead to tree damage and power outages in areas that see 4 inches or more of snow accumulation. I am monitoring this storm extremely closely and will continue to keep you updated.

Say It Isn’t So – Snow Is Possible At The End Of The Week Across Western & Central Mass

After a couple of weeks of dry and quite quiet weather across Western and Central Mass, the weather is expected to be more active and much more wet this coming week. In addition, snow is possible at the end of the week. Some shower activity is expected This Afternoon and it will be much cooler as compared to last week with temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s. A east to northeast wind gusting up to 20 mph will add an extra chill to the air. Sunshine returns for Tuesday and Wednesday as a high pressure ridge briefly moves over the area. High temperatures on Tuesday will be near 60 Degrees and high temperatures Wednesday will be near 65 Degrees. A double barreled low pressure system will move into the northeastern United States for Thursday and Friday. These two storm systems will not only bring rain to the area, but it will also pull enough cold air into the area to cause the rain to change to snow late Thursday night and Friday, especially in the Worcester Hills, the Berkshires and the Hilltowns of Western Mass. So, for Thursday – Rain will gradually move into the area and it will be cool with high temperatures between 50 and 55 Degrees. On Thursday Night, an area of low pressure will strengthen to the south of Long Island and this will cause colder air to be pulled into the area. This means that rain will gradually change to snow late Thursday night across the Berkshires and the Worcester Hills with the rain possibly changing to snow by Friday morning across the Hilltowns of Western Mass. Elsewhere across Western and Central Mass, the precipitation will remain as rain throughout Thursday night. Low temperatures Thursday night will be near 35 Degrees. Friday is likely to prove to be a tough forecast as there will be a “battle” between colder air moving into the area and daylight “warmth”, which might offset this colder air. Some of the guidance hints at upwards of 2 to 4 inches of wet snow across the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires and even up to one inch of snow in the Pioneer Valley and the Blackstone Valley. I think this may be way overdone, especially since any snow will be falling during daylight hours and would probably melt on contact. My thinking right now is for a rain-snow mix across the Pioneer Valley and the Blackstone Valley with no accumulation of snow on Friday. Across the Berkshires, the Worcester Hills and the Hilltowns of Western Mass, my thinking as of right now is for snow that may accumulate 1 to 2 inches or so. Upwards of 3 inches of snow is possible in the northern Worcester Hills and across the highest elevations of the Berkshires. High temperatures Friday will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. I will be monitoring the end of the week snow potential and will keep you updated.