David Epstein’s week outlook includes the possibility of snow—and 60-degree temps
Welcome to New England.
Warm weather or the potential for a snowstorm? Since both are in the forecast, and within just days of each other, we’ll talk about both.
A warm front moving north of the area Thursday has allowed spring-like conditions to surge northward. Temperatures in the afternoon, in the mid-50s, will be more conducive to the middle of April, not the middle of February. This happens from time to time during the core of the winter, but over the past few decades it’s been happening with more regularity.
Spring-like temperatures
The mild air will last through the night and into Friday morning before a cold front sweeps eastward and ushers in some chillier air. This front will be accompanied by a few showers and even the possibility of a thunderstorm south of Boston.
Temperatures will be warmest Friday morning and then cooler throughout the day. Readings will end up in the 30s by nightfall. This will set the stage for the potential snow event Saturday night.
The risk for snow Saturday night is dependent on our usual two variables.
The first, of course, is the track of the storm. It needs to come close enough in order to bring the precipitation shield into Southern New England. Right now, the moisture is still located about 3,000 miles away, over southern California. As such, forecasts for its exact movement aren’t particularly accurate.
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The other factor is the cold air, which must still be present in order to bring snow and not rain. If the storm comes too close to the coast, it would bring in warm air off the ocean and could mean of mixed precipitation.
Still early for amounts
If the storm is farther out to sea, we’ll just see a little bit of snow, if any. The potential is certainly there for a plowable storm, but it’s just too early to know how much will fall.
This would be a low-impact event, coming overnight Saturday and moving out by Sunday morning. Right now, there is a high probability of at least an inch of snow, but a low probability of more than 6 inches.
Very warm for February next week
Temperatures behind the snowstorm will actually begin to get very mild, with melting taking place on Sunday and Monday. It could be downright warm Tuesday and Wednesday next week. By then, temperatures may actually get into the 60s, similar to a pattern we saw last year at about the same time.
