A "normal" high temperature for early April would be in the low 50s. That’s about what we are expecting on Saturday and that’s about the only normal thing in this forecast.
The high temp in Boston got to 69 on Friday. That is not a record. But, at no point on Friday did the temperature drop below 59. That sets the record for the warmest ever low temperature in Boston on April 1, beating 52 set in 2008. Yes, that’s right. We are going from record warm weather to snow in the same weekend. Saturday will be the transition day. We are expecting light rain showers through early afternoon but it will be just rain at first. After a damp day, an arctic front will move through late in the day bringing one more round of rain showers. A rumble of thunder is possible at that time, but we aren’t expecting the strong storms we had Friday evening.
As you might expect with an arctic front, temperatures will drop quickly after it passes and the chance for rain becomes a chance for snow by dawn Sunday morning. The atmosphere will be extremely unstable and that will likely lead to brief periods of heavy snow, snow squalls, or even thundersnow Sunday morning. The good news is that this will be a very quick moving system so the snow won’t be around for long. That combined with warm ground will limit snow accumulations. A coating to maybe an 1" of snow will be possible in the Boston area with the possibility of 1-3" in the Worcester Hills. That will be mainly in grassy areas. The roads will be more wet than slick. However, if you happen to get caught driving in one of those snow squalls, be careful as heavy snow could reduce visibility and make driving treacherous.
The biggest impact from this storm system won’t be the snow, it will likely be the gusty winds. Wind gusts over 50 mph will be common on Sunday. Some gusts to 65 mph aren’t out of the question for the Cape and the Islands. Those winds will make temperatures in the mid 30s feel more like the low 20s even during the warmest part of the day on Sunday. Strong winds could also lead to some ocean effect snow showers for the outer Cape Sunday afternoon as everyone else clears out.
We get a break in the action Sunday night before yet another storm system moves in on Monday. In case you are counting, that makes 4 storm systems in 2 days. This one looks like a mixture of snow and rain beginning mid morning on Monday and lasting into the evening. Its a bit early to predict how much snow we will see as the rain/snow line is to be determined. But it looks like another coating to a slushy inch or two of snow will be possible.
Temperatures stay WELL below normal for most of the week. The current record low temperature for Boston on Wednesday is 20 set all the way back in 1881. That record may be in jeopardy. Temperatures get back to the 50s for Thursday and Friday, but that might be brief. There are already signs that next weekend will also be cooler than normal.
Since they say "misery loves company" I will tell you we aren’t the only ones getting wild weather this weekend. Lubbock, Texas saw snow on Friday and is expecting temps in the 70s on Sunday.
