Felt pretty good outside today. Highs tipped the scales in the upper 20s to low 30s areawide. A little bit of sun helped slump the snowbanks…but it will take more than that to banish them.
Tonight’s setup is a moving target. Anyone who tells you they have a perfect snowfall forecast is lying to you. There will be some spots from Portsmouth to Portland that come up with 8 or more inches of snow, but exactly where that is remains elusive. What seems certain to me (at least as certain I can be in this setup) is that the heaviest snow remains north of Portsmouth. Bet you’re wondering why I’m not calling this a storm and why the forecast is so darn tricky, right?
I prefer setup, because this snow is a result of a bit of ocean moisture and a surface low pressure to focus it in a small area. And I prefer to say the forecast is challenging, rather than impossible. Although the lines may shift, the numbers look good.
Some very light snow or flurries may linger into the early part of tomorrow, but the trend will be to dry things out and make way for the cold. Bitter air slams down Thursday night and all of Friday with sub-zero wind chills to boot.
Weekend setup is familiar…at least if you think back to December and January. Warm front approaches with some snow (couple of inches possible), then a mix, then some rain. Yes, I said rain. You remember that, right? Small drops of water that fall from the sky?
In any event, this is not a deluge, but it’s not what you want to hear with 3-4 feet of snow on the ground. Fear not, flooding isn’t an issue. Our snowpack has the ability to absorb a lot of water, since it’s mostly made of fluffy, dry flakes. Only worry is the weight of the snowpack after the rain…that may be an issue for roof loading.
For the record, spring is 30 days away.
Pete