Eye On Many Movers
HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! Ah, yes, it's one of my favorite days of the year and I can't wait until it's official that Ms. G officially becomes the MA State Groundhog. Check out her campaign and you can vote your support by going to www.MAStateGroundhog.com. It's time that we salute the much more accurate forecasting of Ms. G right here in MA over Punxsutawney Phil down there in PA. Phil saw his shadow this morning thereby predicting 6 more weeks of winter. I am certain that Ms. G will also see her shadow at 10 o'clock this morning and also predict 6 more weeks of winter. By the way, the WBZ Weather Team is anticipating a colder and snowier than average February with a guarantee that the daylight will increase 72 minutes this month. Last year, our winter didn't start until the blizzard struck on February 9th. The previous winter didn't even occur! We all didn't have to spend much on heating costs then compared to this winter. Ouch!
Enjoy today's near 50 degrees under a milky sky with filtered sunshine through the high cloudiness. Lingering fog on the South Coast should break up as an axis of rain showers slithers into areas farther northwest of Boston this afternoon. This action is associated with a cold front on its way but, unlike previous frontal passages this winter, there will be no drastic drop in temperature this time around. Furthermore, there should not be any extremely cold weather this week but temperatures will be running near to a few degrees below the average after today. The pattern is changing to less harsh cold but more frequent storms especially in the next couple of weeks. A potential of 4 storms still exists in the next 8 days! The first system is just a minor sideswiping tomorrow. The shield of snow should advance northeastward to about the MA Pike by midday. The northern fringe will deliver only occasional flakes ranging up to an inch possible from roughly Providence to Plymouth with up to 2" perhaps from Newport to Nantucket. Clearing will ensue from northwest to southeast tomorrow evening so Tuesday will be bright and sunny except for some departing low clouds on Cape Cod early in the day and some arriving high cloudiness everywhere later in the afternoon. That could produce a colorful sunset after 5pm.
Our next more vigorous and productive weather maker will be crossing CA late today on a swift path to Texas on Tuesday and Ohio by early Wednesday. The primary storm will dissolve into western PA as a secondary storm develops over Delmarva and tracks south of Cape Cod Wednesday afternoon. This trajectory favors cold air locked in to generate mainly snowfall across much of the region with a mix of precipitation probable closer to the South Coast and Cape Cod. Where it's all snow, amounts of 5-10" are plausible and this will be a denser, stickier snow than previous releases. Present timing suggesst the heaviest snow will fall from 7am to 3pm with a tapering to lighter, less dense snow later in the day. A ridge of high pressure will then build across the country into New England to create a couple of quiet days with ample sunshine and highs near 32. After that, available energy and moisture will combine to brew one or two storms next weekend. An initial impulse could ignite some light snow on Saturday followed by the potential for a much stronger system on Sunday. It is currently uncertain how this is all going to shake out so it is impossible to give specifics right now. Suffice to say we will keep an eye on many movers over the next week. For those of us interested in alpine and nordic skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, there is reason to be excited about this new weather pattern. While snow-making slopes are in great shape for the most part, other trails and glades need a big one to ring the bell. February should be our month!
If conditions warrant any revision of this forecast scenario, I will publish an update this evening. Otherwise, Todd Gutner is on duty tomorrow morning and Eric Fisher follows later in the day.
Make it a great week!
