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A powerful nor’easter organizes off the coast of the Carolinas this Saturday, and brings blizzard-like conditions to the outer banks to the Appalachians through this evening. Meanwhile the storm is pushed offshore and away from the New England coast as it passes by Sunday afternoon and evening. This is thanks to a strong high pressure system, dense, sinking, arctic cold, and the jet stream all the way to the Gulf in the southern U.S. We “only” get grazed by the outer bands of wind and snow.
Snow
Even with the storm brushing by us, Sunday will be quite active along the southeastern Massachusetts coastline. Snow showers begin in the morning, and last throughout the day, slowly tapering off in the evening as the storm pulls away. Ocean-effect snow bands will give locally higher totals near the shore. Overall we expect 1-3 inches in Plymouth and Bristol counties, and 3-5 inches of snow for the outer Cape Cod and Nantucket.
Wind
Gusty wind kicks up Sunday morning and lasts through late at night. The wind will be mainly northerly for the coast, which means the northern facing beaches will see the worst flooding at the coast. Wind speeds for Cape Cod to the islands reach 50-60 mph. Boston and inland areas see 30-40 mph gusts from the north all day Sunday.
Coastal flooding
Tides are running astronomically high due to the full “snow” moon on Sunday. The high tides Sunday noon, midnight, and again Monday around noon could bring minor coastal flooding along the eastern coast of Massachusetts, while Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket may get minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding, especially on the sound side due to the northerly wind. Beach erosion and splashover will occur for a couple of days too as waves will be 5-15 feet, 10-20 feet offshore.
10-day outlook
A little warm up is on the way for Groundhog Day on Monday, with highs in the 30s. No major storms are in the forecast for next week, though there is a small chance for snow sometime Thursday into Friday.
Track Sunday’s snowstorm with live radar
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Pamela Gardner
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