GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU, FEBRUARY! I almost feel like singing, “Ding, dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked…” FEBRUARY!
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new month and the beginning of Meteorological Spring. So, I promise you things will get better. However, we will have to be patient! With temperatures still expected to be below normal, it will be a slow climb to feeling more like spring. In fact, it may feel like we’re climbing Mount Everest from time to time (especially with plowable snow expected tomorrow night), but I promise you that the view from the top is well worth the climb. It’s still painful for me to even think of the many storms and feet of snow through the last few weeks, but then I think “we’ve already made it through those storms. We won’t have to live through them again.” The worst is over. *Collective sigh of relief!*
Yes, we are expecting more snow tomorrow night. Yes, it looks like 4-6″ for more areas, and less on the Cape and Islands due to some mixing. Yes, it’s plowable snow and yes, it could cause problems for Monday morning’s commute. Does this news feel like a bit of a let down? Yes. I’m with you. We really need more melting – not more snow. *Collective disgruntled groan!*
Specifics on Sunday night:
* Light snow will start in the late afternoon/early evening hours. Steadiest on either side of midnight.
* Changeover to rain and mixing will be south of Plymouth. Generally speaking, 4-6″ for most locations, 2-4″ SE of Plymouth, and 1-2″ around Chatham and Nantucket (accounting for changeover to rain).
* This is not light & fluffy snow. This snow will be wet and heavy for most. Further roof-loading is a concern, especially for SE Mass.
* Snow’s done by Monday morning and with highs in the mid 30’s, more melting is expected for the afternoon.
I realize that this is kind of mean, like I’m saying, “Meteorological Spring starts tomorrow, and we kick it off with snow!” It feels a bit like, “It’s your birthday but no one is coming to your party!” (side note: As a child with a birthday that fell on Thanksgiving quite often, I had this happen a lot as a kid… *Collective sarcastic ‘wah-waaaah’*).
As we move through the first week of March, here are some things we all really need to remember (myself included): 1) We gain just shy of an hour-and-a-half of sunlight during the month of March, 2) The sun angle is getting higher and higher, therefore providing more melting even when temps don’t get above freezing, 3) We have made it through the worst, and it will continue to get better from here. Even if March is another month that leaves us “below average,” the averages are warming as well! By the end of March, the normal high is 50!
Bottom line; I realize it’s probably looked down upon to come up with a forecast via a Magic 8 Ball… but my March forecast is: “Outlook is good.” We may be off to a bad start, but we’re on the up and up. Keep climbing. – Bri