Today’s weather set up is something else—-powerhouse cold front that drops out of Canada & plows into New England during the afternoon. If this were the case 6 months from now I’d be blogging about a risk of severe thunderstorms but this time of year, instead of thunderstorms it will be about snow squalls and bitterly cold air that follows.
Even before this arctic front arrives, it will be a blustery & cold day with temps in the low-mid 20s and wind chills in the single numbers/teens. As the front arrives it will pop off isolated snow squalls. These squalls are like summer storms in that they are:
* Intense–significantly reduced visibility in which the snow can quickly accumulate (1″ in a matter of minutes) and lead to slick travel.
* Isolated—most towns do not see these squalls.
The timing of these potential squalls looks to be between 1-5pm today. In any event, squall or no squall, arctic air arrives this evening quickly sending temps into the single numbers between 7-9pm and wind chills below zero. Those wind chills will be dangerously low for much of the night and through tomorrow morning, likely between 15-30 below zero. Temps themselves will approach and drop below zero early tomorrow morning with Boston possibly dipping below zero for the first time since January 2011!
Friday offers a break from the arctic express but the price will be paid. Another cold front swings through New England and this front will produce widespread but light snow during the morning commute. Plan on a coating to 2″ by midday on Friday. More cold weather is on tap for the weekend including the Patriots game.
~JR