If you haven’t prepped for our impending Nor’easter, now is the time!
It’s a calm start to our Sunday. We’re waking up to temperatures in the 20s, and while it’s mostly cloudy, it’s also calm. It’ll stay clam and cloudy through the afternoon with highs in the mid 30s.
You’ll start to notice the weather shift this evening, as winds start to gust into the 20s and 30s and the first flakes start to fall around 7 PM. From there, things only intensify as the storm continues north, and by early Monday morning the snow will be thumping and the winds will be howling. The worst of the storm will be between roughly 4 AM and 4 PM Monday. That said, the snow won’t wrap up until closer to 7-8 PM. At that point, winds will still be gusty, though not at their peak.
Going through the components of this storm:
SNOW
The numbers will be big. That’s not new, but it’s still important. Expect the highest totals to be for parts of the South Shore and South Coast. Generally speaking, the numbers decline as you head inland from there. That said, even the “lowest” totals up in northwestern Massachusetts are still plowable.
Snowfall rates will be the highest Monday morning, at which point they could surpass 2″ per hour. Needless to say, that’ll make the numbers pile up quickly at that point.
One big difference between this storm and our other big snowstorm this season (January 25-26) is that while our January snow was light and fluffy, this round will be heavier and wetter. Not like cement, but certainly not the fluffy stuff we saw a month ago.
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
Not-so-fun fact about blizzards: they’re NOT just big snowstorms. They have very particular criteria they need to meet. A blizzard must have…
- Falling or blowing snow
- Wind gusts frequently at 35+mph
- Visibility of ¼ mile or less
- And all of that has to last for 3+ hours
This storm actually does have the potential to bring blizzard conditions. In fact, we have Blizzard Warnings for the entirety of the coast, Bristol, Plymouth & Norfolk Counties. Outside of the Bay State, this Warning also includes all of Rhode Island and coastal Connecticut.
These conditions could not only make travel dangerous, but downright impossible at times. If you absolutely HAVE to travel, make sure you stock your car with supplies like snacks, water, blankets/extra clothes, a flashlight and charged electronics.
WIND
Another difference between this Nor’easter and our January snowstorm, is that this storm will have much gustier and more persistent winds. In a similar fashion to the snow, the worst of the wind will be early Monday morning. That said, wind gusts will stay high all day, especially for the coast. The highest gusts will be for the coast, particularly Cape Ann, the South Shore, and the Cape. Gusts in these areas could get up into the 50s, 60s, and a few could even reach or surpass 70 mph.
The numbers taper as you head inland, but even in Central Mass, we’re looking at widespread gusts in the 30s and 40s.
Something important to mention is that between the heavier, stickier snow and the gusty winds, we could see some isolated to scattered power outages along the coast.
COASTAL FLOODING
With powerful gusty winds largely coming from the northeast (how “Nor’easters” get their name), there’s also the potential for coastal flooding in the Bay State. We’ll be keeping an eye on that potential during high tide (right before 3 AM Monday morning), particularly for Plymouth County, the Cape & Islands, which could see minor to moderate coastal flooding during that time.
The next part of the flooding forecast is a good news-bad news situation. The good news is that low tide (around 9-10 AM Monday) coincides with the highest surge potential for the storm. The bad news is that between the surge and the next high tide (around 3-5 PM), we have another chance at minor to moderate coastal flooding Monday late afternoon/early evening.
What does this really mean? It means that low-lying roads, parking lots & properties could see some inundation (2-3 feet for the South Shore, Cape & Islands, up to 1 foot for the North Shore). Never drive over flooded roadways! You don’t know the integrity of the roadway underneath the water. It’s not worth messing with your car, let alone your safety!!!
AS FOR THE FORECAST BEYOND THE STORM…
We get a break on Tuesday, thank goodness. It’ll be a good day to shovel out, with a mostly sunny sky, a light breeze and highs in the low 30s. That said, it’s a short-lived break as a few more storms move through New England during the middle/end of next week.
The first is a quick-moving storm that could bring us a few snow showers on Wednesday, mainly in the second half of the day. After that, another storm arrives during the second half of the day Thursday. This one looks like it could bring rain and snow showers through Friday morning.
Stay aware, stay safe, and stay tuned! We’ll have your back throughout this storm!
Kshalhoup
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