It's NOT the Blizzard, But...

Posted by Pete Bouchard

We're in a busy pattern. Storms are zipping by with out much introduction or fancy send-offs. In between, we seem to string together some windy, partly sunny days like today.

Then come the big ones.

And we start drawing comparisons between the record-setting blizzard earlier in the month (OK, two weekends ago). Well, Dan Quayle, I know the blizzard, and this is no blizzard.

But it is a big storm. And as such, it deserves an detailed look. (First off, let's not step over the next two days. Chilly weather, plenty of wind, and limited sun - brightest on Friday - now back to the storm.)

• Startup time is late afternoon Saturday. Winds will be increasing, but we're marginal with the cold. As a result, most along the coast will see mix/light rain. Light snow elsewhere. Roads will slowly get slick, but NOT impossible to travel.
• Later in the night - after 9-10pm- the pacing will pick up and the snow will start to take charge, snuffing out the rain all the way to the Cape Cod Canal.
• Heavy snow through early morning Sunday. Roads will be tough to travel, and yes, your flight will most likely be delayed or cancelled. (Although I don't run an airline, so I'll let them have the final word.)
• East/northeast winds will pile water up along the coast, so a moderate coastal flooding event is possible at high tide Sunday morning. We'll keep an eye on this variable.
• Storm slowly winds down through Sunday afternoon - give it until mid afternoon along the coast.

What can you expect? See the amounts below...but I reserve the right to fidget with that 8-12 and pull it into the city based on colder numbers in the days ahead.

Pete

Take the Good, Take the Bad

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Rain, rain, rain...

...but for many today was a day of hurry up and wait. Sure there were showers, but not every minute was washed out. With the events unfolding tonight, that's about to change.

Come On Ride The Train

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Heavy rain is on the move! All afternoon long it was stalled over Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Heavy pulses of rain traveled over the same towns and cities - a process meteorologists call "training" - resulting in flash flooding in some counties to our west.

Saved by The Sea Breeze

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Although my forecast was busted today, there was one good thing that came out of it.

Stability.

That gray overcast that hung over the eastern half of the Commonwealth provided a stablizing influence to our atmosphere. The cool air blowing in from the ocean kept the temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s all the way back to Metrowest. While that makes for lousy short-and-t-shirt weather, it is poison to thunderstorms.

Storms, Heat, Sea Breezes

Posted by Pete Bouchard

What a day! Breakneck temperature swings, thunder, tornadoes in Western Mass....and we're still in late May!