A Wind-Swept Heavy Rain Expected Thursday Night Until Friday Night

For This Afternoon: A west to northwest wind flow over the region will produce a mixture of sunshine and clouds this afternoon. In addition, a couple of snow showers are possible. Temperatures will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be West at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Tonight Through Tuesday: An area of high pressure will gradually build into the region tonight and Tuesday. Skies will start out tonight partly cloudy, but will become clear after midnight. Low temperatures will be between 20 and 25 Degrees. Winds will be Northwest at 10 to 20 mph. Tuesday is expected to be a sunny day with high temperatures between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be Northwest at 8 to 16 mph. Wednesday: That high pressure system will continue to control the weather during Wednesday with sunny to partly sunny skies expected. High temperatures will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be Northwest at 5 to 10 mph. Thursday: Even though Thursday will be dry across the region, clouds will begin to increase as a strong low pressure system moves across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region. High temperatures will be between 40 and 45 Degrees. A Wind-Swept Heavy Rain Is Expected From Thursday Night Through Friday Until Friday Evening: A strong storm system is expected to track from the eastern Ohio Valley on Thursday evening to western New York State by Friday morning. This storm system is then anticipated to move into Quebec province during Friday afternoon and evening. Given the expected storm track that’ll be to the west of our area, it looks very likely that we’ll be on the mild side of the storm system. Because of this, it appears that a majority of the precipitation type with this storm will be in the form of rain. In addition, there is likely to be quite a bit in the way of wind with this storm system, both on the front side and the back side. So, a wind-swept heavy rain looks very likely with this system, especially during the worst time of the storm, which looks to be during the day on Friday. The strong winds could also lead to downed trees and power lines with power outages a possibility, especially on Friday afternoon and Friday night. Once that storm system pulls into Quebec province by Friday evening, it’ll pull in some very cold air for Friday night. This looks to lead to a rapid drop in temperatures Friday evening leading to the potential for a “flash freeze” of everything. This means that any water leftover from the rain will freeze up rapidly leading to very icy conditions Friday night. Here Are The Specific Details: Rain overspreads the entire area during Thursday evening with the rain gradually increasing in intensity by morning. Temperatures Thursday night will rise from the mid 30s in the evening into the 40s late at night. Winds will be East to Southeast at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. On Friday, expect rain all day long and it’ll be heavy at times. Be aware that street, highway and poor drainage flooding is very likely. In addition, there’s also the chance for a thunderstorm or two during the afternoon and evening, especially given the very strong dynamics of this storm. It’ll also be very windy on Friday with Southeast winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40-45 mph. High temperatures will be between 50 and 55 Degrees. Rain, which will be heavy at times, looks to continue through Friday evening before it ends around midnight or so. It’s possible that the precipitation could end as a brief period of snow and this is something that’ll need to be watched. Once the rain ends, expect a very rapid fall in temperatures just after midnight Friday night with the potential for a “flash freeze” of everything. It’ll also continue to be very windy on Friday night with South to Southeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph in the evening and West to Southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph after midnight. Temperatures on Friday night will start out in the 50s during the evening, but looks to rapidly drop to near 25 Degrees within about a 2 hour time period just after midnight Friday night. By sunrise Saturday morning, temperatures across the area will be between 20 and 25 Degrees. Total rainfall amounts from the Thursday night to Friday evening storm is expected to be in the 1 to 2 inch range. Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: Even though it’s not going to look like a Christmas postcard, it sure is going to feel very much like Christmas this weekend. Christmas Eve is expected to be partly sunny, windy and cold with high temperatures struggling to make it to 30 Degrees. Christmas Day looks sunny to partly sunny, windy and cold with high temperatures between 25 and 30 Degrees. Thank You: As always, I thank you for your continued support. If it were not for you, I would not be able to do a job that I love so very much – forecasting the weather for Western and Central Mass. Please help us alleviate the costs required for producing these weather forecasts for Western and Central Mass by donating. Thank you so much in advance!! MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT ROUTE 20 WEATHER- https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Route20Weather?locale.x=en_US I Also Accept Donations Through Venmo. My Venmo Id is @Robert-Lightbown

A Storm May Impact The Area Thu Afternoon Until Fri Evening With Snow, Rain & Strong Winds

For Tonight: An area of high pressure gradually builds into the area tonight bringing with it partly cloudy skies. Low temperatures will be near 25 Degrees. Winds will be West at 10 to 20 mph. Sunday: Even though high pressure will be positioned nearby, it’s expected that a weak upper level trough of low pressure will move through the area during the afternoon. This means that any morning sunshine will give way to a mixture of some sunshine and lots of clouds during the afternoon. In addition, an isolated snow flurry or two is also possible during the afternoon. High temperatures will be near 35 Degrees. Winds will be West at 5 to 10 mph. Monday: A partly sunny and windy day is expected on Monday with high temperatures between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be West at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 to 35 mph. Tuesday & Wednesday: High pressure controls the weather for both Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunny skies are expected on Tuesday with high temperatures between 35 and 40 Degrees. Wednesday looks partly sunny with high temperatures between 35 and 40 Degrees. Storm System Impacts The Area From Thursday Afternoon Until Friday Evening: Some very stormy weather looks to be on tap for the end of next week and for those looking for a White Christmas, unfortunately, it could be a rain storm rather than a snow storm. It is looking increasingly more likely that an area of low pressure will take shape over the southeastern United States during Thursday and then ride the spine of the Appalachian Mountains into the northeastern United States as we get into Friday. This sort of storm track, if it happens, would lead to it to move to our west leaving our area on the mild, wet and potentially very windy side of the storm. For those of you that are traveling late next week, be aware that this storm system is likely to bring impacts to a large part of the country from a potential blizzard across the Great Lakes and Midwestern United States to heavy rain and thunderstorms along the entire East Coast of the United States. This could lead to travel delays and airport delays on Thursday and Friday. Here Is What I’m Currently Thinking For Western and Central Mass: Precipitation may start as snow across the entire area Thursday afternoon before it changes to rain everywhere during Thursday evening. A heavy rain with windy conditions then looks possible from late Thursday night through all day Friday. Depending on the anticipated very strong dynamics of this storm, it’s possible that scattered thunderstorms could occur Friday afternoon and Friday evening. As we get into the overnight hours of Friday night, it’s possible that we see a rapid change to snow before it ends late at night. One thing that this storm will very likely bring is a rapid drop in temperature by Saturday morning. With all of this said, we are still 5 to 6 days away from this storm occurring and changes in the forecast are almost guaranteed. This means that given the impacts this storm will likely have on Holiday travel, I’ll have frequent updates as needed. High temperatures Thursday will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Temperatures on Thursday night will rise from the mid 30s into the 40s during the night. High temperatures Friday could be near 50 Degrees. Temperatures on Friday night may drop rapidly to near 20 Degrees by late at night. Outlook For Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: Cold is going to be the operative word for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Partly sunny skies are currently expected for Christmas Eve with temperatures that struggle to make it to 25 Degrees. Christmas Day looks partly sunny with high temperatures near 25 Degrees.

Snow, Sleet & Rain Still Expected From Tonight Through Friday Into Saturday

Snow, Sleet & Rain Is Still Expected Beginning Tonight & Continuing Through Friday Into Saturday: An area of low pressure is now developing over the Carolinas and is expected to track to near the New Jersey coast by early Friday morning. That low pressure system is then expected to track near the south coast of New England by late Friday and then head towards Nova Scotia during Saturday. Where exactly the change over line from snow to rain sets up continues to be one big headache and elevation is going to play a big role in whether you see snow or rain – meaning, areas that are 1,000 feet or more above sea level will probably end up seeing higher accumulations of snow than those areas that are in the valleys. The area that looks to “jackpot” in terms of snow amounts looks to be the Berkshires and perhaps the western Hilltowns of Western Mass. So, let’s try to break this down as best as we can with a caveat – The exact position of the snow-rain line is still uncertain and changes to where this sets up may occur. Tonight: Steady precipitation is expected to overspread Western Mass between about 7 pm and 10 pm this evening with the precipitation developing across Central Mass during the 10 pm to midnight time frame. It appears that the precipitation tonight will be in the form of all snow over the Berkshires and the western Hilltowns of Western Mass. Over the Pioneer Valley, the precipitation looks to be in the form of rain throughout the night tonight. Further east, areas near and north of Route 2 may flip between a snow-rain mix and all snow depending on the intensity of the precipitation. This means that when the intensity is heavy, it’ll probably be falling as snow with the precipitation flipping to a snow-rain mix when it lightens up in intensity. Like I said, not an easy forecast!! South of Route 2, the precipitation should be mostly all rain throughout tonight. The exception will be the hills west of I-190 and the hills between Monson and Charlton where the rain may mix with or even change to snow at times tonight. In fact, some of the high resolution model guidance hints at a period of moderate to heavy snow between about 3 am and 7 am Friday morning in the Worcester Hills, as well as along the Mass Pike between Palmer and Charlton with a quick 1 to 3 inches of accumulation. Temperatures tonight will be in the low to mid 30s. Winds will be East at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Friday & Friday Night: A very elevation dependent winter storm is expected throughout Friday and Friday where valley locations see a cold, wind-swept rain and the higher elevations at or above 1000 feet sees a heavy wet snow, especially in the Berkshires. Mostly all snow is likely to occur all day Friday right through Friday night across the Berkshires and the western Hilltowns of Western Mass. This snow, which is expected to be wet and heavy, will combine with gusty winds and may lead to downed trees and powerlines leading to power outage issues. Elsewhere, all rain is expected across the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass all day Friday into Friday night before the rain changes to snow very late Friday night. Across Central Mass, areas near and east of I-190 and I-395 will see all rain throughout the day Friday into the first half of Friday night before it changes to snow after midnight Friday night. For areas west of I-190 and I-395, mostly all rain is anticipated throughout Friday into Friday evening. That said, the rain probably will mix with sleet and snow at times & may even change to snow at times, especially in the higher elevations of the Worcester Hills, as well as the higher elevations of the hills around Monson, Palmer, Brimfield, Sturbridge and Charlton. All precipitation should change to all snow everywhere across Central Mass after midnight Friday night. As for areas near and especially north of Route 2, a rain-snow mix that changes to snow at times is expected throughout Friday and Friday night. This mixture looks to change to all snow after midnight Friday night. Temperatures during Friday and Friday night will fluctuate between 33 and 38 Degrees depending on elevation. Winds on Friday will be East at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Winds on Friday night will be Northeast at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 to 40 mph before midnight and North at 10 to 20 mph after midnight. Saturday: As that low pressure system moves towards Nova Scotia, it will pull down colder air leading to snow to continue through mid-morning before it ends from southwest to northeast during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Skies will then remain cloudy throughout the afternoon on Saturday. High temperatures Saturday will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be North to Northwest at 10 to 20 mph. Forecast Snow Totals: The least amount of snow looks to occur across the lower and middle Pioneer Valley and east of I-190 and I-395 where 1 to 2 inches of snow are expected. Across areas of the Mass Pike between Palmer and Auburn, snow amounts of 2 to 3 inches are expected. For the Worcester Hills (area west of I-190 & north of the Mass Pike), but south of Route 2, including Brookfield, Paxton, Rutland, Holden and Hubbardston, snow amounts of 3 to 5 inches looks likely. In the upper Pioneer Valley, as well as across areas near and north of Route 2, snow amounts of 5 to possibly as much as 8 inches of wet and heavy snow looks possible. The area that is expected to see the highest snow totals from this storm will be the western Hilltowns of Western Mass and the Berkshires where snow totals of 10 to 15 inches are expected. Isolated amounts of up to 18 inches are possible near the Mass-Vermont border. This is going to be wet and heavy snow. This factor, combined with the gusty winds is likely to lead to downed trees and powerlines across the Berkshires and the western Hilltowns. Sunday: A sunny to partly sunny day is expected on Sunday with high temperatures near 35 Degrees. Monday Through Wednesday: Quiet weather is expected for the first half of next week with sunny to partly sunny skies expected on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. High temperatures all three days will be around 35 Degrees. A Significant Winter Storm May Impact The Area Late Next Week: All of the weather forecast guidance are showing the potential for another coastal storm system to impact Western and Central Mass at about the end of next week. There are some minor timing differences between the individual model members with some showing a winter storm for next Thursday through next Friday and others showing a storm from next Friday through Christmas Eve. One thing that seems certain is that there could be a significant winter storm that could bring enough snow to cause significant travel hazards and enough snow to plow late next week. This is not good news for those of you with travel plans between next Thursday and Christmas Eve and my recommendation to you is to see if you could travel a little earlier next week, perhaps on Wednesday or so. Another thing that I want to mention is that this looks like it’ll be a storm system that affects a large part of the United States east of the Mississippi Valley starting on next Thursday with snow and ice being a potential travel problem across the Midwestern United States and the East Coast of the United States from Virginia northward through all of New England. So, again my recommendation is to just “test the waters” and see if you can travel earlier next week, should you have travel plans between next Thursday and Christmas Eve. Given the huge impacts that this storm could have in terms of Christmas travel, I will have frequent updates for you as needed.