Did you see the sunshine today? I sure hope so…it may be the last chance you get for quite some time. Our next chance of a solid dose of natural vitamin D may not come until Sunday or Monday!
The lack of sunshine will be the least of our issues this week. Instead, will be dealing with another healthy dose of wet weather and for good measure, why not some April snow.
With the potential for flooding rain, accumulating snow and damaging winds all in the forecast, the WBZ Weather Team has issued a NEXT Weather Alert.
TIMELINE:
An initial wave of low pressure will pass by on Tuesday, think of it as an appetizer. Clouds will thicken Tuesday morning and some rain will push up from Connecticut in the afternoon and evening. It will be generally light to moderate stretching from western MA through southern Worcester county and into Rhode Island and southeastern MA. North of the Pike in places like Middlesex and Essex county, we don’t expect much, if any, rain, perhaps just a few sprinkles.
The main course arrives on Wednesday. After a light start in the morning, the intensity of the precipitation will increase by midday and afternoon.
It should be mainly rain during the day on Wednesday in eastern MA and south of the Pike. North and west of 495, we will see some sleet or a few wet flakes mixing in at times.
Not expecting any impactful wintry weather during the daylight hours.
During Wednesday night, conditions will be slightly more favorable for some sleet and snow accumulation north and west of 495.
As with most springtime storms, elevation will play a key role. The higher up you live, the better the chance of seeing some wintry weather. There are several towns in northern Worcester county with elevations between 500-1,000 feet. This is where we are most concerned for several inches of sleet and snow. With temperatures remaining near or slightly above freezing, the snow will be like paste, weighing down on lines and limbs.
The precipitation will become spottier by Thursday morning. We expect that the center of the storm will pass near or over parts of southern New England. This will force the heavier sleet and snow well northward into New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS:
Again, this is mainly an elevation-based snowstorm. The higher elevations of northern Worcester county and southwest New Hampshire are at much higher risk of snow/sleet accumulation.
In elevations close to 1,000 feet, we could see as much as 3-6″ of pasty, wet snow. Thinking of towns like Ashby and Ashburnham.
Come down in elevation closer to 500 feet and there may be 1-3″ of heavy slop. The 1-3″ contour also extends eastward through parts of Hillsboro and Rockingham counties in New Hampshire.
Closer to 495, we expect some scattered areas with a coating to an inch. This would be the case in towns like Worcester, Marlboro, Westford and Lawrence.
The snowmap is particularly difficult to draw as amounts will vary from town to town depending on elevation.
A closer look…
WINDS:
The strongest winds will be located along the immediate Coastline and in particular, over Cape Cod and the Islands. We could see east-northeast gusts between 45-55mph in these areas.
As the center of the storm comes up over our area Thursday, the winds will shift from east to north-northeast by the afternoon and evening.
The strongest winds will also shift from Cape Cod northward towards Cape Ann and up through the New Hampshire and Maine Coastlines.
POWER OUTAGES:
There is a risk of some outages in the areas where the heavy, wet snow accumulates. Again, the highest risk being in the highest elevations of central and western MA.
COASTAL FLOODING:
Tides are astronomically low this week so thankfully, we will avoid a worst-case scenario. The Thursday morning high tide (between 7-8am) could still produce some minor to moderate coastal flooding, particularly from the South Shore through the North Shore of Massachusetts and also portions of Coastal New Hampshire and Maine.
SLOW RECOVERY:
The storm will be very slow to depart later this week.
It is likely that clouds and scattered pop-up showers will linger on Friday and Saturday.
There is some hope of a dry Sunday with a bit more sunshine.
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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