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Dave Epstein on the possibilities of more snow Friday, a coastal storm Sunday-Monday
"As of now, I think that the coastal storm should be safely out into the Atlantic well south of New England."
We’re past the halfway point in the work week, and it’s on to the weekend. School vacation week is wrapping up, and folks may be traveling back Friday through Sunday, so the forecast is important.
Right now, we’re watching a storm forecast to move into New England early Friday afternoon that could bring a range of precipitation: from sleet, freezing rain, and a wintry mix to all snow.
A second weather system Sunday night into Monday has the potential to develop into a bigger snowstorm. The odds right now favor another miss for a significant storm for Greater Boston and New England. However, if this system does come closer, it would definitely be quite a major storm or possibly develop into a nor’easter, depending on the track.
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Here’s a breakdown of each upcoming storm:
Storm No. 1: Friday’s system has a little more energy
Friday brings the trickiest weather situation of the weekend itself. Low pressure will be heading up into the Great Lakes with a warm front trailing to the east. The boundary between the warm air to the south and the cold air to the north will act as a lifting mechanism for precipitation to develop.
The challenge is how much warm air will occur at around 5,000 feet. If temperatures are above freezing at that level, we’re going to be looking at sleet and freezing rain mixing in with snow. If a small area of low pressure develops on that front and the cold air holds, we’re looking at more of a snowstorm, meaning several inches could fall. Either way, this is not a major storm, but it is an inconvenience as we start the weekend.
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The most likely areas to see all snow will be across Southern Vermont, New Hampshire, and into Maine, but even here in Southern New England, especially north of the Mass. Pike, accumulating snow is possible in that window.
In terms of accumulation, we could probably see a couple of inches south of Route 2 and 3 to 6 inches to the north, as of right now. But be aware, this could all change.
Precipitation is likely to move in after 1 p.m. and be done a few hours after midnight. The evening commute could be tricky with a mixed bag of precipitation.
Timing plays a role with this storm, as a secondary low may form over the Gulf of Maine at some point Friday afternoon. This would bring a quick southerly drop in the rain-snow line and help support higher snow totals versus Wednesday’s storm.
There’s a little bit of a break on Saturday, but still a lot of clouds, with any leftover snow showers quickly coming to an end. Temperatures will reach into the 30s.
Storm No. 2: Potential coastal system Sunday night into Monday?
Sunday also looks partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures once again in the 30s. We still need to keep an eye on another weather system and any changing trends on the computer guidance we use to forecast, but as of now, I think that the coastal storm should be safely out into the Atlantic well south of New England and avoid impacting us.
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So stay tuned!
This forecast would mean a return to cold but sunny weather for Monday and Tuesday.
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