Whatever sunshine is left out there this morning will fade behind increasing clouds throughout the afternoon today. Temperatures will rise into the 40s in northern New England and at our coastlines with a wind off the water. The interior will manage to squeeze out another day in the 50s. My forecast thinking hasn’t changed too much, although I should add that there’s a slight chance of a passing shower or sprinkle today in advance of a warm front over southern New Jersey. This front will turn stationary tonight and tomorrow, meaning steady rain stays to our south…for now.

Yesterday I was thinking that steadier showers may try to make their way into southern New England tomorrow, but that does not look like the case (which is good news, right?). Northern New England may even hold on to some filtered sunshine through the day on Friday, while central and southern New England stay mostly cloudy.

My current thinking is that some patchy light rain and drizzle will develop on Friday night and early Saturday in southern New England. Steadier rainfall will move in during the afternoon and evening from southwest to northeast, reaching as far north as southern VT and NH. The heaviest rain arrives overnight Saturday and Sunday morning, falling the hardest south of the MA Pike. I’m still thinking rainfall totals will generally run between 1-2 inches for much of New England (lesser amounts in the North Country). A persistent onshore flow will continue through the weekend, gusting at times over 40 mph at the shore.

The storm will pass south and east of Nantucket on Monday. Counter-clockwise flow around this area of low pressure means that a north-northeast wind will wrap colder air down from eastern Canada into New England. In turn, we could be dealing with rain AND snow showers early Monday, although little if any snow should accumulate.

Random side note: 4 of my friends from my grad school days down at Florida State are visiting Beantown for the first time this weekend (2 coming from Texas, 2 from Florida)! I told them they should have come last weekend because the weather was perfect! Oh well, we’ll just need to have the umbrella handy while we tour the city.

Will update you tomorrow on any changes. Have a great Thursday!

Good Monday morning everybody! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the weather this weekend, because the overall pattern here in the Northeast will turn very unsettled starting tomorrow, lasting through this weekend. For Ski Country and all you snow lovers, get pumped – we could be talking about 2 to 3 FEET of snow across the mountains over the next week! And for those of you who may be getting a little sick of Old Man Winter, the official start to spring is only 26 days away…and we have mild sunshine to enjoy today!

Forecasting through this upcoming period is going to be very tricky though and at this point, it’s hard to be completely confident in how the weather is going to pan out over the next several days. So let’s start out with what we do know…

In the days ahead, a massive blocking pattern will evolve over the northeast United States. Essentially what this means is that a big upper level low is going to stall off our coastline, bringing unsettled weather to New England for an extended amount of time. The position of the upper level low will play a pivotal role in determining the magnitude and duration of each separate storm.

The first storm will impact New England’s weather tomorrow and Wednesday. Expect light snow to break out tomorrow morning, where a thin coating to an inch is possible outside of 495 especially by tomorrow’s morning commute. The precip will become steadier through the afternoon and evening with the heaviest expected to fall overnight Tuesday through midday Wednesday.

Snow will turn to rain along our southern New England coastlines, but continue as snow across the high terrain of the interior. I’d say we’re looking 1-3 sloppy inches across the interior of southern and central New England by Wednesday morning (outside of 495), with 3″-6″+ inches when you come back from the Berkshires and Green Mountains to the high terrain of north-central MA, southwest NH and the White Mountains.

Keep in mind that this is just one chunk of energy/moisture…more is on the way…

Another storm will develop in the Atlantic and get pulled into New England on Thursday night/Friday. The potential exists for another round significant snowfall, even in southern New England, along with flooding concerns as a persistent wind off the ocean combined with astronomically high tides piles up water at our coastlines.

Be prepared for some changes as the week wears on, and a lot of shorter updates on the blog as we nail down the details over the coming few days.

It’s a quiet weather day across New England today, which is good news considering some of us are still feeling residual effects from Monday’s heavy rain. Flood warnings are up for a few of our rivers in northern New England as of this blog post. Ice jams are the primary culprit, which continue to cause flooding on the Kennebec River at Augusta, the Sugar River at West Claremont and the Piscataquis River at Dover Foxcroft. While the waters in each of these rivers are forecast to continue to recede as the day wears on, residents in and around these areas need to be alert to the possibility of sudden flooding. For the latest advisories, watches and warnings, head to the National Weather Service Eastern Region Headquarters, and for maps and graphs of current river conditions, check out the USGS Water Watch website.

Elsewhere across the region today, mostly sunny skies are the rule, with the exception of much of Vermont, northern NH and northern ME where the clouds win out, along with a few snow flurries too. Temperatures will rise into the lower 30s in the North Country to the lower 40s in far southern New England. And while some people consider this seasonable “warmth” a good thing, I can sympathize that this is not exactly welcome news for skiers, snowmobilers and the business’ that depend on them. Cold air is on the way to New England though, and will be ushered in by snow showers and squalls tomorrow afternoon and evening.

Expect any sunshine to quickly fade behind increasing clouds tomorrow as an arctic front approaches from the west. Snow showers and squalls will develop from west to east during the afternoon and evening. They will be scattered in nature, but pack quite the punch as they come on through. Bursts of snow will coat the roadways, making for a slick commute tomorrow evening, with some locations picking up a quick inch or two. You’ll want to clear the snow fairly quickly before the deep freeze moves in late tomorrow night as temperatures plummet into the single digits and teens. Friday can be summed up in two words: windy and cold. It will feel like it’s below zero at the warmest time of the day in the north, and in the single digits south, so bundle up!

The weekend is looking bright, but the cold is here to stay. Highs will generally be in the 20s. We’ll keep a close eye on the potential for some light snow especially at the south coast of New England on Saturday as a storm passes well to our south, but right now it looks like it will slide harmlessly out to sea.

That’s all for now! Have a fabulous day and if you can, head out to our NECN Celebrate the Gift of Life Blood Drive! It’s all happening today and our goal is to raise 2010 pints of blood! Matt Noyes is at the Dedham, MA donation center and will be there all afternoon, so stop on by and say hello! For all the details click HERE!

Join us on our live stream this morning as we track the latest winter storm pushing through New England. Chat with Meteorologist Matt Noyes and let us know how much snowfall you have received!

This past weekend’s storm was like the energizer bunny – it just kept going and going! And what an amazing storm it was. There are a couple interesting features I’d like to point out, but honestly, I could go on and on, so I’ll just name a few. First off, I couldn’t believe how effective the northwest wind was at drying out the valley’s or “shadow zones” in northern New England. With bands of snowfall pinwheeling in from east to west, I thought this moisture would be able to offset the downsloping, but apparently not! I mean, who would have guessed that Bridgton, Maine would have one of the lowest snowfall totals in all of New England? Or that Bridgeport, CT would get more than Conway, NH? Amazing.

And let’s not forget about the record snowfall across the Champlain Valley…

Burlington, VT saw record daily snowfall on Saturday and Sunday, with a record storm total of 33.1″!

Amount of Snow	Dates	Year
33.1″	January 2-3	2010
29.8″	December 25-28	1969
25.7″	February 14-15	2007
24.7″	January 13-14	1934
22.9″	March 5-6	2001

• Table Above: Top 5 Burlington, VT Snowstorms

To check out some of the other snowfall totals and storm information from this past weekend, check out the National Weather Service state data page. Click on your state, followed by Public Information to see the latest reports.

Now, on to this weeks forecast. It’s a relatively quiet one, so expect mostly dry weather with the exception of some mountain snow showers and flurries. Our temperatures will fluctuate somewhat over the next couple of days, cooler tomorrow, a few degrees warmer Wednesday, colder Thursday, and coldest on Friday.

As far as the late week storm potential, we’re watching a disturbance currently dropping out of western Canada that will slide through the central US over the next few days and eventually off the Mid Atlantic coastline by Thursday. With deep low pressure still stalled in the Canadian Maritimes and the jet stream positioned to our south, chances are slim for a direct hit. More than likely the system will slide harmlessly out to sea without much fanfare. But regardless of the storm’s track, another bitterly cold airmass will follow in its wake making for a very chilly weekend.

Keep you posted throughout the week!

First let’s talk about what we know. Tomorrow will be a great day to get out and hit the town, do some shopping or hit the slopes. Skiing will be fantastic thanks to the extended stretch of sub-freezing temps. Resorts have been pounding the trails with manmade snow since Monday and mountains have been opening new terrain each day. So after a slow start to the season, things are really looking up for you skiers.

Of course, you’re probably wondering about the big storm working up the east coast and what impact it will have on New England. To be honest, this has been a very tricky system to predict- typically a low that develops down in the Gulf and moves north to near Delaware would have no problem continuing its trek into New England. This time around, however, there is a big blocking polar vortex anchored in the Canadian Maritimes which is deflecting the jet stream to the east. In other words, a big low pressure center to our north will eventually turn the storm out to sea. The question is, how far north does it get before it makes the turn?

Well, my latest thinking is that the low will get close enough to spread snow into southern New England, with the northern fringe reaching as far north as a Rutland-Concord-Portland line. Of course, the heaviest snow will fall in areas that are closer to the storm, especially along the south coast and the Cape/Islands. Though there may be some brief mixing with sleet and rain over the Cape, it looks like a primarily snow event for all of us thanks to a deep arctic airmass in place.

So here’s my best guess as to the timeline of events. Snow will break out from southwest to northeast Saturday evening, beginning pretty early in southern CT and reaching the Boston area around midnight. Snow will become heavy at times overnight and continue through Sunday morning before tapering off from west to east in the afternoon. Accumulations will range from an inch or two from southern VT through central NH and southern Maine to up to a foot along the south coast. Obviously there is still time for the storm to change its track, and if it trends any closer than expected some of these 1’+ amounts may have to be adjusted northward. Regardless of the exact track, it is bound to be very windy on Sunday with gusts to 50 mph at the coast, especially the Cape and Islands. Blizzard conditions are possible for a time along with some scattered power outages.

In any event, it’s bound to be a pretty good snowstorm for us here in southern New England but nothing of the magnitude that they will have in the mid Atlantic. Some areas will see over 2’ by the time it’s over, including DC, Philly and possibly even NYC.

That’s all for now- critical updates on the way tomorrow morning with Joe. Have a great weekend everybody!

Today’s weather was certainly active across the region. Over 1″ of rain fell in many areas, the wind gusted in excess of 50 mph (72 mph peak gust on the top of Blue Hill, MA!) which brought down trees, powerlines and caused minor flooding at our coastlines…and oh yea, then there’s the record warmth!

The following chart highlights just a few of the cities and towns that broke record high temperatures today in New England. For more information on wind gusts, record highs, and rainfall totals – check out the National Weather Service State Page. Just click on state data, your state, and view the Public Information Statements.

Location	Today’s High	Previous Record	Year of Previous Record
Boston, MA	69°	65°	1932
Hartford, CT	67°	64°	1932
Providence, RI	66°	63°	1932
Worcester, MA	63°	61°	1932
Bangor, ME	61°	56°	1986
Burlington, VT	57°	56°	1982
Concord, NH	65°	60°	1932
Portsmouth, NH	69°	61°	1998
Portland, ME	68°	61°	1932
Norwood, MA	70°	61°	1986

This warmth will be short-lived however as cooler air works its way into the region, starting tonight. The cold air comes in installments though – and the mercury will slowly decrease a few notches over the next couple of days.

Tomorrow’s weather will be quiet, before all eyes turn to a developing storm system off the Carolina’s which will track south of New England. This may bring some accumulating snowfall to portions of southern New England Saturday night. Mostly dry and cool weather will follow, with a few showers expected Monday night and early Tuesday before the next significant disturbance barrels through late Wednesday and Thursday with heavy rain and the potential for snow.

While it may be late in the Hurricane Season, there has still been plenty to watch in the tropics, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico over the past several days. Tropical Storm Ida is expected to make landfall overnight tonight. For a full forecast discussion, visit the National Hurricane Center homepage, and for the latest watches and warnings along the Gulf Coast, click here.

In terms of Ida’s impact on New England, Canadian high pressure will build into the northeast, keeping “Ida” to our south and the rain at bay. This also means fair weather and seasonable temperatures will be the rule through the remainder of the week. Meanwhile, 3-6 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts are expected along the Gulf Coast, with rainfall extending northward into the Tennessee River Valley. The Virginia and Carolina coastlines will be battered with rain, wind and waves as Ida makes her transition to an extra tropical cyclone, eventually being absorbed by a cold front sweeping off the Virgina coast.