3:51PM
2014 ends tonight. As 2015 gets underway and people ring in the New Year hopefully in their preferred way, inside or outside, one thing is for sure, it will be chilly outside around southeastern New England. Certainly far from the coldest New Year’s Eve we’ve had around these parts, but given the recent mild pattern, it will feel quite cold for anybody out there, so if you are going to be one of them, bundle up!
As expected, high pressure took control on Monday and continues to dominate the weather making it dry and somewhat colder than we have seen recently. This will continue through early Saturday but will then give way to a rapidly-approaching low pressure area from the southwest late Saturday. The timing of this system appears as if it will be similar to the thinking on the previous blog update, late Saturday through early or the mid part of Sunday, and the track is still expected to be one that takes a primary low pressure area into the Great Lakes but develops a secondary near southeastern New England. Though it will be cold enough for snow in many areas at the outset of this system, warmer air coming in both at the surface and aloft will change it to rain. We will have to watch for a brief period of icing especially inland as some cold air may be trapped at the surface there Saturday night and Sunday morning. At this time, we are still too far away from the event to have any real confidence on details of this, so this possibility will be revisited and fine-tuned. Once we get to late Sunday, low pressure will be heading away and being replaced by windy and colder conditions which will last through Monday. By Tuesday, a small but possibly vigorous low pressure area may sweep through the region from the Great Lakes, bringing the chance of snow or mixed precipitation, however this fast-moving system would not have enough time to produce any large snow amounts. Look for more cold and windy weather behind that system as we’re finally able to tap some of the cold air in Canada and drag it down here. This does not look like the start of a long-lasting cold snap, however.
SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT – NEW YEAR’S EVE: Partly cloudy with temperatures falling slowly through the 20s during the evening to near 20 many areas and upper 10s inland valleys by midnight. Overnight lows 15-20. Wind light SW.
THURSDAY – NEW YEAR’S DAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 30-35. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 15-20. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 30-35. Wind W 5-15 MPH
SATURDAY: Increasing clouds. Snow/mix arriving late day or night, changing to mix/rain overnight. Low 20. High 35.
SUNDAY: Cloudy with mix/rain morning. Mostly cloudy to partly sunny with rain to snow showers afternoon. Low 30. High 45.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 35.
TUESDAY: Clouding up. PM snow or snow showers. Low 20. High 30.
Thank you all for reading and contributing during 2014 and previously as well! Looking forward to 2015! Have a safe and happy New Year!
From the WHW Crew (TK and a small supporting cast who prefer to remain nameless). 🙂