DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 4-8)
Any untreated surfaces are likely very icy to start the day today so use caution of heading out prior to late morning, when we should finally see an adequate enough temperature rise to allow more significant melting. After yesterday’s / last night’s messy bout of precipitation, the sky cleared overnight and if it wasn’t already below freezing, it went below in most areas. We’ll have plenty of sun and a “milder” day today, even though a frontal boundary has been pushed to the south of our region – March sunshine is stronger and the source of this air is not that cold. However, the same frontal boundary is not done playing games with us, and its attempted return northward will bring a heavier overcast back into the region during Thursday, and eventually another ribbon of precipitation as a wave of low pressure comes along it Thursday night into Friday. High pressure in eastern Canada will keep the boundary from moving too far north, and low pressure moving along it will pass just to our south, setting up a chilly mixed precipitation event – probably starting as rain and transitioning to a mix of sleet and freezing rain especially north of the Mass Pike with a better chance that plain rain continues to the south. But this will have to be monitored with temperatures in that “borderline” region once again. I don’t think we’ll see any significant snow bursts in the next system, but I can’t rule out some wet snow mixing in over northern MA and southern NH in the early hours of Friday. Precipitation moves out as the wave of low pressure departs to the east during the day on Friday. As we get to the weekend a bit of a transition takes place. We’re first left with chilly air behind the departing low, but another low pressure area will be traveling toward southeastern Canada via the Great Lakes. Eventually, a stronger southwesterly air flow ahead of its trailing cold front will scour out the low level cold we have in place, but this may take until midday Saturday to occur. I do expect that day will feature a lot of clouds, but also a warm-up that you may need patience to enjoy. It should also be a rain-free day, with any rain shower threat associated with the aforementioned frontal boundary waiting until sometime at night. The front will pass through and I expect mainly fair weather on Sunday, but this time we won’t see a strong push of chilly air behind that frontal boundary, so Sunday may turn out to be a decent day despite some cloudiness, but I am optimistic, as far as late winter allows me to be at this point. Also to note: The switch from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time takes place on Sunday (2:00 a.m. EST becomes 3:00 a.m. EDT).
TODAY: Widespread black ice this morning – use caution walking and/or driving! Plenty of sun / few clouds. Highs 42-49 (may not realized until mid to late afternoon). Wind near calm to start, then W up to 10 MPH.
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Areas of fog. Patchy black-ice reforms. Lows 31-39. Wind near calm.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs 40-47. Wind E up to 10 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Overcast. Rain arrives southwest to northeast, but may occur as freezing rain and / or sleet some inland areas especially north of I-90. Lows 31-38. Wind E up to 10 MPH.
FRIDAY: Overcast. Areas of fog. Rain / ice / sleet – the former most likely south, the latter more likely north, and potentially wet snow mixing in also northern MA and southern NH, with all precipitation tapering off west to east by midday. Highs 33-40. Wind E to NE up to 10 MPH.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Foggy areas. Areas of black ice. Lows 30-37. Wind calm.
SATURDAY: Cloudy start with areas of fog, then breaking clouds with partial sun at times midday on. Highs 43-50, coolest South Coast. Wind calm early, eventually SW 5-15 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. A rain shower possible. Lows 35-42. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 47-54, coolest Cape Cod. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 9-13)
A milder / warmer spell early to middle of next week before a front brings a ribbon of rain and a turn to chilly weather at the end of the week – timing / details TBD. One thing that may interrupt it is a frontal boundary that slips down from the north and northeast in response to high pressure in eastern Canada. If that takes place, the temperature pattern would be more variable and some additional unsettled weather could occur during the transition to or from the “interruption”.
DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 14-18)
Up-and-down temperature pattern with a trend to below normal in the waning days of spring. Temperatures transitions marked by precipitation chances, the details of which are definitely too soon to know. Summary: Volatile mid March pattern expected.