Snow In The Weekend Forecast... Really
BOSTON (CBS) - 83 degrees. That was the temperature in Boston just over a week ago. Beaches were packed and the forsythia and fruit trees were starting to burst.
Only problem was the calendar said mid-March and all this was happening several weeks too soon.
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But after the mild, snowless winter we had it didn't seem all that strange that spring and summer would come early.
In New England however, it seems Mother Nature doesn't ever let us get too comfortable or relaxed. Just think back to 1997. It was a relatively easy winter by our standards. Just over 20 inches of snow had fallen for the season and temperatures were starting to top 60 degrees in late March.
In fact on March 30, 1997, the high was 63 degrees and we actually had a thunderstorm the prior evening.
What followed was one of nature's cruelest attempts at an April Fool's Day joke. Boston received 25.4 inches of snow on March 31 and April 1 in 1997, our biggest snowfall of the year just when everyone was thinking spring.
Don't worry, this weekend will NOT be a repeat of 1997, but snow is in the forecast for the final day of March and the first day of April once again.
A small but potent storm system will emerge out of the Great Lakes this evening and arrive in southern New England early Saturday morning.
The system is not going to be all that impressive. The majority of steadiest precipitation will stay south of New England.
We are looking at a mix of wet snow and rain, starting just before dawn and tapering in the afternoon. Worcester County and areas west (in elevation) have the best chance at seeing some light snow accumulation on the grass (coating to an inch or so).
Areas in extreme northern Massachusetts and southern NH may see just mainly cloudy skies and a few passing flakes. Roads will be just wet and could be a bit icy later Tomorrow night when temperatures dip below freezing in the burbs.
The fast moving pattern brings yet another storm into New England by Sunday late afternoon and evening. This one will mainly be in the form of rain, any snow will be confined to central and northern New England.
So when do the 70's and 80's return?
We could briefly get mild the middle of next week, but we may have to wait a while for real summer to arrive in Boston.
You can follow Terry on Twitter at @TerryWBZ.
