No hyperbole here—-this storm is legit! The models have been ‘seeing’ this storm for a few days now but the forecast track has shifted west–closer to New England–over the past 24 hours so things really have escalated since yesterday.
No issues at anytime tomorrow—-good for sticking up on supplies for a nor’easter. Thursday is the storm. Here is what I’m thinking:
Snow is obviously an issue but wind will also be a major issue. Here is the snowfall forecast:
plan on close to a foot of snow for much of metro Boston by the time the storm wraps late Thursday evening. For many (metro included) this will be a cold snow–light, powdery and easily blown around–that will lead to poor travel from about noon Thursday until early Friday morning. Closer to the canal and out onto the Cape, the storm starts as rain (or mixed rain & snow) before flipping to a wet snow Thursday afternoon. This is where the strong wind comes into play…
That strong wind will lead to power disruption for many along the coast–certainly on the Cape/Islands. A real problem considering how cold it has been and will continue to be after the storm. The other concern with the strong wind (from the north then northwest) will be the tides. Astronomical high tides on midday Thursday (combined with the wind) likely leading to minor coastal flooding. Pockets of moderate/major coastal flooding are likely in Sandwich and Scituate. A number of inlets are frozen over tonight–that ice is likely to be broken up by the storm and then sent ashore during the storm, furthering the concern for some structural damage where we do see pockets of moderate-major coastal flooding.
In any event, bitter arctic air is back on Friday and stays right through the weekend. Wind chills on Friday and Saturday are dangerously low—nearing -25 in many locations. Even the actual temps will approach record territory on Saturday and again on Sunday.
A tough stretch of weather ahead these next few days–we’ll get through it—we always do.
~JR