The storm system that we’ve had our eyes on the last week or so will impact the region to start the workweek. Current bringing snow to areas of the Midwest a large, broad area of low pressure is drifting eastward along the Ohio River.
Of interest to New England is the plume of moisture lifting northward out of the Gulf of Mexico. By tomorrow morning a new area of low pressure will establish itself southeast of Atlantic City sending a moisture laden slug of precipitation northward into southern New England.
By 7 am tomorrow morning (above) snowfall is pushing ashore the Connecticut & Rhode Island coasts while a wall of moisture lurks to our south. During the day this wall of moisture will march steadily northward bringing with it a 12 hour “thump” of snow.
The above loop highlights the northward march of the precipitation shield. Most locations in southern New England receive a solid 10-12 hours of heavy snowfall with rates likely exceeding 1″ per hour. As day break on Tuesday approaches the low pressure system off the NJ coast will begin to lose its energy and a new low pressure center to the east of Cape Cod will take over. Which is why the focus of the heavier precipitation rates shifts northward into northern New England.
Cape Cod and the immediate Massachusetts coast lines will start as snow but flip over to rain fairly quickly on a strong easterly wind. Interior Plymouth and Bristol counties and southern Rhode Island will hold on the snow much longer and will only flip to rain as the intensity of the precipitation begins to let up.
Periods of light flurries and snow will still occur during the day Tuesday as the original storm system and upper atmospheric features drift by the region. The main accumulations are done at this point and what falls from the sky on Tuesday is more for the ambiance. A small resurgence of accumulating snowfall over Maine is possible overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, but that’s not set in stone.
-Chris
Chris Hampton Weather 