As we close out March, more heavy rain is expected.
Happy Opening Day! Image provided by sportslogos.net
Happy Opening Day to all who celebrate! As the Red Sox begin their campaign in Seattle, expect the roof to be closed this evening as some rain is likely with temperatures in the upper 40s. We’re also expecting rain around here this evening and tonight as low pressure rides up the East Coast along a frontal boundary. Some of the rain will be heavy, with flood watches in effect for most of the region. Many rivers and streams are running high due to recent rain, and this will only worsen the situation. Rain will gradually end on Friday as the system pulls away, but with colder air filtering in behind the storm, the rain may mix with or even change over to wet snow before ending. It will also be quite windy as the storm system continues to strengthen. High pressure builds in for Saturday with sunshine along with windy and seasonably cool conditions. A weak system will pass south of the region Saturday night, but with drier air in place, we’ll just see some clouds as it passes by. High pressure returns for Sunday and Monday with dry and seasonable weather, but clouds will start to move back in later Monday ahead of the next storm system headed our way.
The models are fairly unanimous that most of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island can expect at least 1-2 inches of rain by Friday evening. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Periods of rain, some of it heavy, becoming breezy. Low 34-41.
Friday: Rain ending by early afternoon, possibly mixed with a little wet snow, becoming windy. High 48-55.
Friday night: Skies clear out, still windy. Low 31-38.
Saturday: Sunshine and some late-day clouds, winds gradually diminish. High 47-54.
Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, just a slight chance for a shower. Low 31-38.
Sunday: Becoming partly to mostly sunny, breezy. High 48-55.
After a dry start to the week, things will turn wetter once again.
OK, it’s not quite clowns and jokers, but we’re starting the week stuck in the middle between high pressure to the northwest and low pressure to our southeast. The result will be a shield of clouds mainly across southeastern Massachusetts today, with some gusty winds near the coastline. Those clouds will start to spread farther inland tonight, with a cloudy day expected on Tuesday across the region. As some moisture rotates around that low pressure system, we may see some drizzle or showers move in late Tuesday and Tuesday evening, especially near the coast. Across the interior, temperatures could drop close to freezing Tuesday night, especially from the Merrimack Valley into southern New Hampshire, so some spotty freezing rain is possible, resulting in some slick spots of you’ll be out and about.
This morning’s satellite loop shows the clouds over the ocean and southeastern Massachusetts, with clear skies inland. Loop provided by NOAA.
Showers will become a little more widespread on Wednesday as a cold front begins to approach from the west. It will turn milder ahead of the front, with temperatures likely getting into the 50s for most of the region. The front stalls out just offshore Wednesday night and a wave of low pressure will ride up it, bringing in another round of rain on Thursday. While it doesn’t look as heavy as what we had on Saturday, we could get enough to renew flooding concerns across parts of the region. That system pulls away early Friday, then high pressure builds in for later Friday and into the weekend with drier and breezy conditions.
More rain is expected later this week, especially south of Boston. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Monday: Sunshine filtered through high clouds, thicker clouds across southeastern Massachusetts, breezy, except windy near the coast. High 39-46.
Monday night: Becoming mostly cloudy, breezy, a few showers possible across southeastern Massachusetts. Low 29-36.
Tuesday: Plenty of clouds with some late-day showers and drizzle, especially near the coast, windy. High 37-44.
Tuesday night: Cloudy with a few showers or drizzle, maybe some freezing drizzle well inland. Low 34-41.
Wednesday: Cloudy with a few showers likely. High 52-59, cooler across Cape Cod.
Thursday: Periods of rain, some of it could be heavy. High 47-54.
Friday: Windy with showers ending. High 43-50.
Saturday: Partly to mostly sunny, windy. High 46-53.
Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy. High 45-52.
Some stormy weather is on the way, and it may not be just rain for at least a part of the region.
Temperatures will be well below normal for late March over the next several days. Image provided by WeatherBell.
High pressure builds in for tonight and the first part of Friday with clear skies, diminishing winds, and chilly conditions. Clouds start to move back in late Friday ahead of a pair of systems. The first, a weak upper-level disturbance moving out of the Great Lakes will bring in some light precipitation before daybreak Saturday. With chilly weather in place, it may start as snow north and west of Boston, with rain to the south. The snow should change to rain before midday, but some minor accumulations are possible, mainly from the hills of Worcester county into the Monadnocks, but also across parts of Southern New Hampshire, where an inch or two is possible. The second system, a stronger low pressure area will move up the East Coast, bringing in some steadier and likely heavier rain late Saturday into Saturday night. Many of the models are showing the potential for 1-3 inches of rain, which could result in some areas of flooding. The storm pulls away early Sunday, but we need to keep an eye on a second area of low pressure that will develop off the Carolina coast on Sunday. It will likely stay too far offshore to have any appreciable impact on the region, but as it meanders around offshore, it could send in some clouds and possibly a few showers to Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts later Sunday into Monday. Otherwise, high pressure builds in with dry and cool conditions.
This should be a pretty good storm for ski country. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Clear skies, breezy during the evening, winds diminish overnight. Low 19-26.
Friday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds. High 37-44.
Friday night: Becoming cloudy, light snow possible late at night north and west of Boston, light rain elsewhere. Low 28-35 during the evening, temperatures rise a little after midnight.
Saturday: Windy with snow changing to rain north and west of Boston, rain likely elsewhere, heavy at times in the afternoon. High 47-54 south of the Mass Pike, 39-46 north of the Pike.
Saturday night: Windy with rain ending by midnight, possibly mixed with a few wet snowflakes north and west of Boston. Low 25-32.
Sunday: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy, chance for a few snow or rain showers across parts of Cape Cod and the Islands. High 37-44.
Sunday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy, slight chance for a shower across the Outer Cape and Nantucket. Low 24-31.
Monday: Intervals of clouds and sun, windy. High 37-44.
If you liked all the rain last night and this morning then you’re in luck, as there’s more on the way for part of the weekend!
Average high temperatures for early March are in the lower to middle 40s. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
Clouds hang around this evening, then we’ll start to clear out late tonight as high pressure builds in. Friday should be a rather nice early March day with sunshine and mild temperatures, though we may see some clouds hang around across Cape Cod and possibly southeastern Massachusetts. Clouds stream back in Friday night and Saturday as another low pressure system heads our way. This system should pass north and west of the region, so we’ll be on the warm side of it, with mostly rain expected. Could there be a little wet snow mixed in at the start? It’s possible, mainly across the hills of Worcester County and up into the Monadnocks, but don’t count on it. Rain will end Sunday morning, but it will remain cloudy for much of Sunday, with windy and colder weather moving in. An upper-level disturbance moves through Sunday evening, and it could produce a few rain or snow showers. Skies will start to clear out on Monday as high pressure starts to build back in.
Much of the region could pick up another inch of rain Saturday night. Images provided by WeatherBell.
Thursday night: Plenty of clouds through the evening, some clearing late at night, still breezy. Low 30-37.
Friday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 44-51, coolest along the coast.
Friday night: Increasing clouds. Low 28-35.
Saturday: Plenty of clouds, becoming breezy. High 39-46.
Saturday night: Windy with rain likely, some of it could be heavy. Low 33-40 during the evening, temperatures rise overnight.
Sunday: Rain ends in the morning, clouds with a few sunny breaks possible in the afternoon, windy. High 49-56.
Sunday night: Mostly cloudy and breezy with some rain or snow showers possible during the evening. Low 27-34.
Monday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy. High 40-47.
An active weather pattern means you won’t see the sun much this week.
Highs near or over 60 on Wednesday? It’s possible. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
High pressure is in control to start the week, but with plenty of low-level moisture around we’ll have plenty of clouds, along with some spotty drizzle. If we can get any sunshine, especially well inland, temperatures could get well into the 50s again, otherwise, places closer to the coast will stay in the 40s. A weak low pressure area moves up the coast for Tuesday, spreading some showers in, and keeping temperatures in the 40s, but that is still above normal for early March. We’ll turn much milder on Wednesday, with some spots possibly topping 60 degrees, despite plenty of clouds once again as another system begins to head toward the region. This one will bring in more rain for late Wednesday into Thursday, and some of it could be heavy. We’ll turn cooler on Thursday as system moves through, and there’s a chance that the rain could mix with snow before ending Thursday evening, especially north and west of Boston. Friday looks to be the pick of the week with some sunshine developing as high pressure builds in briefly.
The potential exists for some very heavy rain with the storm Wednesday into Thursday. Image provided by WeatherBell.
Next weekend is a bit uncertain at this point. Most of the models show a system impacting the region, but they don’t agree on the timing or the details of the system. Temperatures look to be colder, and there is a chance that we could see some snow from the system across parts of the region. It is still early March, so this is not an uncommon occurrence. We should have a better idea of what to expect and when to expect it by the time we get to our Weekend Outlook Thursday afternoon.
The models all have a storm impact the region next weekend, but the timing and details vary quite a bit. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Also, don’t forget – Daylight Saving Time begins next Sunday at 2am, when we “Spring Ahead”, and you lose an hour of sleep. The good news? Sunset next Sunday is at 6:45pm.
Monday: Patchy morning fog, otherwise plenty of clouds with some spotty drizzle, a few sunny breaks possible, especially inland. High 47-54, coolest along the coast.
Monday night: Cloudy with a chance for a few late-night showers. Low 36-43.
Tuesday: Plenty of clouds with showers likely, especially in the afternoon. High 45-52.
Tuesday night: Overcast with showers ending in the evening. Low 38-45 during the evening, temperatures hold steady or rise a bit overnight.
Wednesday: Cloudy and milder with rain developing in the afternoon, possibly heavy at night. High 55-62, cooler across the South Coast and Cape Cod.
Thursday: Windy with showers gradually ending. High 42-49.
Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy. High 42-49.
Saturday: Cloudy and breezy with some rain or snow possible. High 39-46.
Sunday: Cloudy and breezy with a chance for rain or snow. High 43-50.
Tuesday is looking like a snowy day, but perhaps not as bad as we were thinking earlier, for at least part of the region.
Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect across much of the region. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.
The general ideas we talked about in our Weekly Outlook earlier today are still valid. Low pressure is moving across the Tennessee Valley this afternoon and will redevelop near the Mid-Atlantic coastline later today, passing south of New England on Tuesday as it intensifies. However, some of the finer details have changed a bit. For one, the timing of the snow has been altered slightly. The snow should develop across the region near or a little before daybreak, and it may fall heavy at times for a while during the late morning and early afternoon, but now it looks like it will be winding down by late-afternoon, ending completely around the evening rush hour. This is a little faster than we were thinking earlier.
The snow should be in an out of here in roughly 8-10 hours. Loop provided by Tropical Tidbits.
It also looks like the storm will be a little farther south than we were thinking. This has significant implications for the snowfall forecast. This shifts the area of heaviest snow a little farther south. The bigger change is on the northern fringe of the snowfall. We had talked about the fact that the models were showing a sharp cutoff to the snow, and you could go from little to nothing to well over 6 inches in the span of 20 miles. That is still the case, but instead of that being over central or southern New Hampshire as we thought overnight, it’s now looking like that could be across southern New Hampshire or the Merrimack Valley. So, how much are we expecting now?
Central/Southern NH: 1″ or less Merrimack Valley: 1-4″ MetroWest/Metro Boston/North Shore: 3-6″ Southeastern Massachusetts/Rhode Island: 4-8″ Cape Cod and the Islands: 6-10″ (possibly less Outer Cape/Islands with some rain to start)
The latest run of the HRRR model is closest to our thinking now. Image provided by WeatherBell.
The other aspects of the storm that we mentioned – strong winds and coastal flooding, have not changed. A High Wind Warning is in effect across Cape Cod, where sustained winds of 20-30 mph are expected, with gusts to 50 mph possible. The rest of the region is looking at gusts of 25-35 mph, with some stronger gusts, especially near the coast. Along the coast, flooding is possible around high tide, especially in the areas that are normally prone to flooding.
Gusty winds are still likely on Tuesday, especially at the coastline. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
We’re also still keeping an eye on the potential for more light snow Thursday night and again on Saturday with two additional storm systems. More on that later in the week.
Some snow is on the way, quite a bit for some areas, and probably more than once this week.
Tuesday’s storm will be very impactful across the region. Image provided by the Weather Prediction Center.
We’ll start the week off with sunshine thanks to high pressure in control of the region, but it won’t last too long. Clouds will start to steam in this afternoon and thicken up tonight as the low pressure area that brought severe weather to parts of Texas and the Deep South yesterday moves into the Tennessee Valley. By Monday night, a secondary area of low pressure will develop near the Mid-Atlantic coast, passing south of New England on Tuesday. There’s not a lot of cold air in place, but with the storm passing far enough to the south, we should be cold enough for snow across most of the region, except for parts of Cape Cod and possibly southeastern Massachusetts, but even there, a change to snow is expected. The snow will be accompanied by gusty northeast winds, especially across the Cape and Islands where a High Wind Watch has been posted. With tides already at astronomically high levels, some coastal flooding is also expected, so a Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for much of eastern Massachusetts. The storm will be moving rather quickly, so snowfall totals won’t be outrageous. Snow should start around sunrise Tuesday, and end around sunset, but in between, it could snow rather heavily for a while late Tuesday morning and early afternoon. If you don’t have to be on the roads, we’d recommend you stay home. Complicating the snow forecast is that many of the models show a sharp cutoff to the northern edge of the snow, but don’t agree where that northern edge will be. Some have it in central New Hampshire, some in southern New Hampshire, some across northern Massachusetts. Wherever it does setup, you are going to see snowfall totals go from quite a bit to virtually nothing over a small area, perhaps even as little as 20 miles. Having said that, our snowfall forecast is, for lack of a better term, our “best guess” across central and southern New Hampshire right now.
Wind gusts of 30-40 mph are possible across much of the region, especially at the coast, perhaps stronger across Cape Cod. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
So, how much snow can we expect?
Outer Cape/Islands: 1-3″ Upper Cape/South Coast: 3-5″ Central New Hampshire: (Concord): 3-6″ Southeastern Massachusetts: 4-8″ Southern New Hampshire (Nashua/Manchester to Portsmouth): 4-8″ Remainder of Eastern Massachusetts: 6-10″ with a few spots picking up 12″ or more
The National Blend of Models is the closest to our snow forecast at this time. Images provided by WeatherBell.
We’ll quickly clear out Tuesday night, then a cold front moves through with a few flurries Wednesday morning, followed by high pressure building in for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday with sunshine and colder weather. Clouds will start to move back in later Thursday ahead of a weak storm system moving out of the Great Lakes. That system will bring in some light snow or rain for Thursday night into early Friday. Skies will start to clear out Friday afternoon, but clouds quickly return ahead of yet another storm moving out of the Ohio Valley. This one will likely bring in some more light snow on Saturday. Another cold front follows on Sunday with some more clouds and possibly a few snow showers.
Another weak system may bring in some snow or rain for Thursday night. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Monday: Morning sunshine, clouds filter in and thicken up during the afternoon. High 42-49.
Monday night: Becoming mostly cloudy, snow developing by daybreak, possibly mixed with some rain across Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Low 26-33.
Tuesday: Windy with snow, possibly heavy at times, tapering off late in the day. High 30-37 early, temperatures start falling in the afternoon.
Tuesday night: Any lingering snow ends in the evening, then skies clear out, breezy. Low 17-24.
Wednesday: Sunshine and a few clouds, windy, colder, slight chance for a snow flurry early. High 28-35.
Thursday: Sunny in the morning, clouds move in during the afternoon, some light snow or rain possible overnight, breezy. High 31-38.
Friday: Any snow or rain ends early, becoming partly sunny and windy in the afternoon. High 33-40.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy and breezy with some light snow possible. High 28-35.
Sunday: Partly sunny, breezy, chance for a few snow showers. High 31-38.
Our active weather pattern continues through the weekend and that dreaded “S” word features prominently.
A frontal system bisects the region this afternoon. Image provided by NOAA.
A wavy frontal system sits across the region this afternoon, separating the mild air across much of southern New England from the seasonable chill to the north. That front will sag southward as a cold front later today, bringing the cool air back. A wave of low pressure will ride along the front, bringing another round of rain in for late tonight and Friday morning. There could be some sleet or freezing rain across parts of central New Hampshire where temperatures will be close to freezing, so if you’ll be in that area tonight or Friday morning, use some caution. The rain should end during the afternoon, but clouds will hang tough Friday night into Saturday. A weak upper-level disturbance swings through on Saturday, possibly generating a few additional rain or snow showers.
Around half an inch of rain is expected for most of the region on Friday. Image provided by WeatherBell.
As we get into Sunday, we turn our attention to a low pressure area moving across the Tennessee Valley. The system will head towards the eastern Great Lakes while a secondary area of low pressure develops off the Mid-Atlantic coastline. We’ll see rain developing across the region Sunday morning, likely changing to snow from north to south at some point Sunday afternoon or night. Everything winds down Monday morning as the storm pulls away. There are plenty of variables that still need to be worked out with this storm, including how close the system passes to New England, and when the change from rain to snow occurs, which will have a big impact on the snow forecast. At this point, it’s safe to say that plowable snow is likely for a good chunk of the region. We’ll try to post an update on Saturday, when things should be much clearer.
There are still a few details for the models to clarify with Sunday’s storm. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Cloudy with rain redeveloping, possibly some sleet or freezing rain across central New Hampshire. Low 32-39.
Friday: Rain tapers off to showers, ending in the afternoon. High 37-44.
Friday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 30-37.
Saturday: Plenty of clouds with a few rain or snow showers possible. High 36-43.
Saturday night: Cloudy, rain may develop late at night. Low 28-35.
Sunday: Cloudy with rain changing to snow from north to south, becoming breezy. High 34-41.
Sunday night: Cloudy and windy with snow likely, tapering off late at night. Low 21-28.
Monday: Mostly cloudy and windy, any lingering snow ends early. High 27-34.
Another potent storm system is on the way, with quite a bit of rain and wind expected.
Most of the region can expect another inch or more of rain on Saturday. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
Before we get to the stormy weather, high pressure remains in control tonight and a good chunk of Friday with dry weather. Clouds will stream in on Friday as low pressure heads toward the Great Lakes once again. This storm will be fairly similar to the one we had a couple of days ago. However, the airmass in place ahead of it is not as cold, and the snowcover is mostly gone, so this one will be mainly rain for most of the region. There could be some light snow right at the start from central Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire, but it won’t last long. We’re also not expecting as much rain from this storm, though there will still be quite a bit, with widespread totals of 1-2 inches likely. This will worsen flooding issues across the region. Flood Watches have been issued for much of the area once again. Winds will also be gusty, but again, not quite to the magnitude of the last storm. Sustained winds of 20-30 mph are expected, with gusts upwards of 40 mph inland, and 50-60 mph along the coast. In addition, some coastal flooding is also possible at the time of high tide Saturday morning/early afternoon.
Wind gusts could exceed 50 mph along the coast again Saturday morning. Image provided by WeatherBell.
The rain should come to an end by midday Saturday, then we’ll start to clear out, with high pressure building in for Saturday night into Monday with windy and colder conditions. Even though it’s beyond the range of this outlook, we feel it’s worth mentioning that the models are showing the potential for another storm to impact the region on Tuesday, and this one could be more white than wet for much of the region. We’ll get into that in more detail in our Weekly Outlook early Monday morning.
Will another storm impact us on Tuesday? It’s a possibility. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy through the evening, clearing overnight. Low 27-34.
Friday: Sunny in the morning, clouds move back in during the afternoon. High 39-46.
Friday night: Cloudy and becoming windy with rain developing, possibly starting as some snow from central Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire. Rain could be heavy at times. Low 30-37 during the evening, temperatures rise overnight.
Saturday: Steady rain ending in the morning, a few showers possible through the afternoon with some late-day clearing, windy. High 51-58 in the morning, temperatures drop in the afternoon.
Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy, windy. Low 25-32.
Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy, colder. High 32-39.
The first snowstorm of the season has pulled away, but we’re already looking ahead to two more potent storm systems later this week.
More snow than expected in the Merrimack Valley, otherwise, the storm behaved pretty much as expected. Image provided by the National Weather Service office in Norton, MA.
High pressure builds in today with dry and rather chilly conditions, thanks to the fresh snowcover. Tuesday starts off dry as well, but a strong storm system will head toward the Midwest, spreading clouds in. Temperatures will still be chilly, so when the precipitation moves in late in the day, it may start as snow or a wintry mix across the interior, with some accumulation possible. However, it won’t last too long. As the systems gets all wound up, strong southerly winds both at the surface and especially aloft will bring much warmer air into the region, changing everything to rain. Sustained winds of 15-25 mph with gusts of 40-50 mph are possible inland with the storm, but along the coast, we could be looking at sustained winds of 25-35 mph with gusts upwards of 50-60 mph or higher. This could lead to trees and power lines coming down with power outages a significant concern. Tides will be astronomically low, so the risk for coastal flooding is fairly low as well. The biggest problem aside from the winds will be heavy rain. Many areas could pick up 1-2 inches of rain or more. While this could lead to areas of flooding on its own, combine that with significant melting of the snow on the ground, and you’ve got a recipe for widespread flooding. We’ll see if that materializes over the next couple of days.
Strong southerly winds are expected across the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Image provided by WeatherBell.
Rain ends early Wednesday, followed by windy and colder conditions during the day as the system moves across southeastern Canada. High pressure builds in for Thursday with diminishing winds. By Friday, another potent system moves into the Great Lakes, but things are a little more uncertain with this one. We could see a secondary low pressure system develop across the Mid-Atlantic states and head towards southern New England. If this does develop, then a colder scenario with at least some snow across the interior becomes more likely for Friday night into Saturday. If it doesn’t, then we’ll likely be looking at more rain, which could worsen flooding across the area. Another weak system could move through late Sunday with some snow showers possible.
Will there be a secondary low on Saturday or not? Time will tell. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Monday: Plenty of sunshine, breezy during the morning. High 32-39.
Monday night: Clear skies, a few clouds move in late at night. Low 12-19.
Tuesday: Becoming mostly cloudy with rain developing late in the day from Boston southward, snow north and west. Winds start to pick up late in the day. High 34-41.
Tuesday night: Cloudy and very windy with everything becoming all rain, heavy at times. Low 31-38 during the evening, temperatures rise overnight.
Wednesday: Cloudy and windy with rain ending in the morning, skies start to clear out during the afternoon. High 50-57 early, temperatures start dropping in the afternoon.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, breezy, colder. High 38-45.
Friday: Morning sunshine followed by increasing afternoon clouds, rain developing at night, possibly starting as snow well inland. High 39-46.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy and windy with rain ending in the morning, some clearing possible late in the day. High 50-57.
Sunday: Partly sunny, windy, colder, a few late-day snow showers possible. High 34-41.
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