Yesterday’s rain/wind storm was pretty cool huh? Rain all morning long, heavy at times with gusty winds bringing down some tree limbs; then all of a sudden it stopped and the sun broke through the clouds and the winds died down. Well, at least I thought it was cool.
Most of us a dry today except for the western slopes of the Berkshires and Green Mountains as the upslope snow machine is on. As the northwest wind runs into the mountains, the air is forced to rise. When the air rises it cools and when the air reaches it’s saturation temperature, the water vapor in the air condenses and falls to the ground as snow. And in some locations, quite a bit of it.
But most of us don’t have to worry about that. I can’t rule out a random snow shower or flurry getting a little adventurous and letting some flakes fly in other regions.
Actually this weekend should be quite nice. Now storms (outside of the snow in the mountains) and temperatures aren’t all that bad. Highs near 40 for this time of year are pretty good.
But the question everyone is asking me has been, “What are the chances of a White Christmas?” There is just something about snow on Christmas that seems to make the Holiday a little more enjoyable. And my response for the last few days has been, “The chances are small, but they aren’t zero.”
Well as luck would have it, our chances of a white Christmas in Southern New England have risen significantly. So much so that I think most of us will wake up to some snow flying on Christmas morning. The only problem that some might encounter is the chance of a mix or change to rain in the far southeastern portions of Southern New England. Let’s say people to the south and east of Route 24 might have to deal with a change over. Of course, the smallest variations in track of precipitation intensity and things could change.
Here is just one depiction of what the radar could look like at 7 AM Christmas morning. This actually might be the least impressive one I could have chosen.
The potential snows for Christmas look as if they will begin a couple hours either side of Midnight and last until either side of noon. Generally it appears that most of Southern New England could be in for a nice 2-4″ snowfall with a few spot amounts of 5″ possible.
We get a break Wednesday morning, then we have another system primed to impact our region Wednesday evening just in time for the evening commute possibly. This system will be much larger and pack more of a punch. Right now it is too difficult to tell if we will be dealing with rain or snow. But the trend has been towards the colder scenario.
And would you believe it, but there are hints of another system sometime for the following Sunday. That is over a week away and a lot can/will change.
7 DAY FORECAST
Today: Partly to mostly cloud skies. Upslope snows in the mountains of Western New England. Random flurries are possible. Highs near 40.
Tonight: Pertly cloudy with lows in the lower 20s. Snow likely to continue in Western New England.
Sunday: Western New England snows should begin to lessen. Rest of New England is dry with highs 35-40.
Monday: Increasing clouds during the afternoon. The day should have the “look” and “feel” of snow about it. Highs 35-40.
Tuesday: Light snows over spread the region around Midnight and last until around noon. A few inches of snow are possible. Highs in the low 30s.
Wednesday: Dry to start, but skies will be mostly cloudy ahead of our next system that will make it’s entrance around the evening commute. Highs around 30.
Thursday: Stormy to start. Not sure if it will be rain or snow. Either scenario is possible. Storm exits late afternoon. Highs in the low 30s.
Friday: Partly cloudy with highs in the low to mid 30s.
-Chris
Chris Hampton Weather 