DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 13-17)
Today’s weather showcases the quick-moving nature of weather systems in our current weather pattern. Last night’s disturbance that produced some light mixed precipitation and snow departed and was followed by a push of colder air with gusty west to northwest winds, which are still blowing notably in higher elevations and exposed areas as we start the day today, but these will quickly diminish and the chill of early morning will be lost to lighter winds and several hours of strong sun as it rises into the sky. However, this afternoon, you’ll notice a wind, now shifted to southwest, picks up a little once again as we lose the sun to quickly-increasing cloud cover from the west, associated with the approach of a warm front. This front can bring a quick episode of light snow and mixed precipitation mainly north of the I-90 belt this evening, but other than a quick coating of snow on grassy / unpaved surfaces, impact will be negligible. During the overnight hours into Saturday morning, the low pressure area that parents the warm front will be passing to our north, and its cold front will follow, bringing some rain and snow showers to the region in the late evening / overnight hours. There may be brief clearing of the sky in some locations ahead of the front and again behind it. As we get into Saturday morning and through the day, the low pressure area now entering Atlantic Canada will intensify significantly, resulting in a windy day here. Upper level low pressure crossing our region will promote lots of clouds at times as well, but there will also be sunnier intervals. The wind will settle down Saturday night and the sky will clear out, resulting in a chilly overnight / early Sunday. During the day Sunday, similar to Friday we’ll see sun give way to clouds as another warm front approaches out region. The parent low for this one will be a large system and will be heading northeastward into the Great Lakes. I think any precipitation with the warm front later Sunday will be less widespread than the one moving through our region later today, and most of it will pass to the northwest of the WHW forecast area – maybe just clipping north central MA and southwestern NH. Our main impact from that storm system comes during Monday as the low pressure area moves through the Great Lakes and into southeastern Canada. Its cold front will be well to our west early Monday but a plume of tropical moisture drawn northward into our region will bring a healthy dose of showery rainfall. It won’t be until later that evening that the cold front finally makes its way through from west to east, itself bringing a band or two of showers and even the potential for thunderstorms. Heavier rainfall with this system falling on still partially frozen ground can lead to some stream and river flooding issues not only on that day but lingering toward the middle of next week even after the system is gone. Tuesday (St. Patrick’s Day) will feature dry, breezy, chilly weather in the storm’s wake.
TODAY: Sun followed by clouds. Evening mix / snow arrives west to east, favoring areas north of I-90. Highs 38-45. Wind NW to W 5-15 MPH with a few higher gusts early to mid morning, diminishing to under 10 MPH then shifting to SW and increasing to 5-15 MPH with a few higher gusts afternoon.
TONIGHT: Cloudy early with a period of snow / mix likely north of I-90 and a chance of mix / rain I-90 southward, then variably cloudy with passing rain / mix / snow showers late evening into overnight hours. Lows 32-39. Wind SW 5-15 MPH with higher gusts, shifting to W.
SATURDAY: Lots of clouds with intervals of sun. Highs 43-50. Wind W to NW 15-25 MPH, gusts 35-45 MPH except 45-55 MPH in higher elevations and exposed areas.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Lows 25-32. Wind NW to W diminishing to under 10 MPH.
SUNDAY: Sun followed by clouds. Slight chance of brief late-day snow / mix north central MA and southwestern NH. Highs 42-49. Wind variable to SE up to 10 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Rain showers arrive and become widespread. Temperatures steady in 40s South Coast but rise to 50s elsewhere. Wind SE to S increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts overnight.
MONDAY: Cloudy with widespread rain showers in the morning and scattered rain showers afternoon. Highs 57-64 except 50-57 South Coast. Wind S 15-25 MPH, higher gusts.
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with rain showers and possible thunderstorms during the evening hours. Clearing west to east overnight. Lows 32-39. Wind S 10-20 MPH, higher gusts, shifting to W.
TUESDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 40-47. Wind W 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.
DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 18-22)
Fair weather and below normal temperatures March 18-19. Unsettled episodes March 20-22 with some rain / mix / snow, but no major storminess indicated. Spring arrives with the occurrence of the vernal equinox at 10:46 a.m. EDT on March 20.
DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 23-27)
Up and down temps but averaging near to below normal for the period with at least one and possibly two late-season bouts of rain / mix / snow possible (March 24 & 27 dates to watch).