Happy Friday!
Before I get to the latest update on Tuesday’s potential snowstorm…I thought I would pass along a cool “event” happening this weekend in Boston, somewhat weather-related.
PART 1 Boston henge
I am sure you have all heard of Stonehenge, the ancient stone structure in England that has literally been around for thousands of years.
One of the many fascinating aspects of Stonehenge is that it was built to align with the solstices. For instance, on the summer solstice, the sunrise aligns with the “Heel Stone” and shines perfectly through to the center of Stonehenge.
Did you know that Boston has its own “henge” called “Boston henge”?
YES! It’s true! Twice a year the sunset aligns perfectly, splitting the middle of several streets and buildings making for an amazing photographic opportunity!
Granted this is all a coincidence, the City of Boston certainly wasn’t built based upon some ancient sun dial.
But, if you overlay a grid of the City with the alignment of the sunrises and sunsets, it just so happens that there are a few “perfect fits”.
Boston henge 2024 has arrived!
WHEN:
February 9-13 at sunset.
Sunset occurs between 5:07pm and 5:11pm during this time period.
I would suggest arriving early to scope out a good location and get the cameras ready.
The “prime” viewing days will be this Saturday and Sunday…although given the weather forecast, Saturday will likely be a bust with too much cloud cover.
On the days just before and after the 11-12th the alignment will be close, but not perfect.
WHERE:
The Back Bay is where it’s at!
Commonwealth Ave, Stuart Street and Boylston Street in particular.
Statler Park may be the ideal location with a little green space, enabling you to get off the roads.
Obviously you won’t be able to look directly at the Sun so, come prepared with the proper camera equipment!
If you can’t make it this Weekend, there will be another chance later this year between October 27-29th.
Other cities also celebrate their own “henge days”. A little “Googling” and you can see some great pics from places like Chicago and New York City.
Good luck! If you snap a pic of Boston henge, send it our way! Weather@wbztv.com
PART 2 Snowstorm
Some of you may recall last February…
On February 4th temperatures dropped to -10 degrees in Boston with even colder readings in many suburbs. The very next day, temperatures rose into the 50s and, less than a week later, Boston hit 60 degrees. This rollercoaster caused severe damage to many flowering trees, wiping out nearly the entire peach crop for 2023.
Here we are, one year later and, once again, we are about to enter a period of weather extremes.
Highs on Saturday will likely nick 60 degrees in many towns in the Boston area. Best chance being in the Merrimack Valley area (just northwest of Boston), but I would say Boston has about a 50-50 shot at 60 degrees, which is the record for the date.
No doubt, spring fever will be rampant across southern New England this Weekend!
Sunday will be a tad “cooler” but still about 10 degrees warmer than average with highs between 45-50.
What’s Next? Naturally, a snowstorm…That’s just how we roll here in New England.
Odds are increasing that a highly impactful nor’easter will strike southern New England on Tuesday.
Given that this storm is still several days away, nothing is set in stone just yet.
However, confidence has grown today that we will see some impacts here.
Looking at the different storm track scenarios, a far northern track, (closer to southern New England) seems the least likely right now…say about 10%.
That would have meant a milder and wetter (rain in parts of the area) storm.
There is still a decent chance that the storm tracks a bit too far south to be a “bullseye” here. I’d say there is about a 40% chance that we get “fringed” or clipped by the northern edge of the storm. That would likely still bring some snow to our area, particularly south of Boston, but would spare us from the full impact.
Finally and unfortunately, the most likely scenario as of today appears to be a more classic New England storm track.
Odds have increased to at least 50% that we most of our area will see a plowable snowfall on Tuesday and a good lashing of wind and flooding at the Coastline.
The timeline will likely need to be tweaked, but for now, plan on snow starting early Tuesday morning and continuing throughout most of the day.
It is too early for a precise snow forecast map, but the area in red (which covers just about all of Southern New England) portrays the areas at highest risk for plowable snowfall on Tuesday. You can see farther to the north the chances are lower given the forecast track has shifted a bit farther south today.
Perhaps just as concerning, is that the storm is potentially striking during one of the highest tide cycles of the year. The absolute highest astronomical tides occur Saturday through Monday. By Tuesday, they are coming off their peak but still remain quite high. So, a nor’easter-type storm would NOT be good news for folks living along the east-facing coastline.
The greatest concern lies with the early Tuesday afternoon high tide.
Should this coincide with the peak of the storm, there could be moderate to major coastal flooding in some areas.
Regardless of whether Tuesday’s storm is a hit or miss, we are about to enter a much colder and potentially snowier period.
The next few weeks (at least) are likely to be cold and stormy at times, sorry Phil but your forecast of an early spring is not looking good at the moment!
We urge that you stay tuned to updated forecasts throughout the weekend. We will continue to keep you updated on the potential nor’easter on WBZ-TV, WBZ.com and CBSBoston.com!
Click here for Westford snow storm data and past totals or select “Winter Snowfall“ under “Pages” on the left hand side.
For more up to date forecast information follow me on Twitter (@terrywbz) or follow the WBZ weather team on Facebook, search WBZWeather
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