7Weather – A strong storm is moving across New England. It’s dumped rain, kicked up very strong wind gusts and will bring coastal flood concerns with high tide this morning. That’s while we are in the warm portion of the storm. Cold air is locked up behind the cold front and once that slices through, we’ll feel some bitter cold temperatures this weekend.
We’re in the midst of the strongest wind for today! Maybe it woke you up overnight. It’s been strong enough to knock out power for about 33,000 customers across Massachusetts (that’s as of 6:30 a.m.). Peak wind gusts so far reached 50-65 mph.
Temperatures have been warming since after midnight into the 50s. Warmer air allows winds aloft come down as the core of the jet moves overhead, and we’ve been noticing it along the coast where the strongest gusts have been. That’s where we expect the greatest threat for scattered power outages.
Take a look at the “Wind Gust Timeline” below. It’s a great visual representation of the wind we’re expecting today. The strongest wind occurs along the coast this morning through 10-11 am. We’ve seen wind gust reports upwards of 50mph. When you get in the range of 50-55 mph, that’s enough to cause tree limb damage that could cause power outages. There will be a brief lull in the wind. That being said, you’ll still notice it. It just won’t reach be at the level to bring more tree limb damage. Strong wind will pick up again this evening/tonight as the cold front advances through.
Strong wind is the main concern with this storm. The powerful southeast wind coincides with high tide this morning, bringing a threat for coastal flooding.
Areas shaded in green are under a Coastal Flood Warning this morning. High tide will be between 10 and 11 am for these coastal communities. We’re expecting minor impacts for areas like Newburyport, city of Boston, Scituate and Nantucket (the potential for a foot of water on shore roads/low lying areas) to pockets of moderate flooding for the southern edge of Cape Ann including Gloucester (the potential for 2-3 feet of inundation that could cause road closures). Although areas of the Seacoast like Hampden Beach could have major coastal flooding impacts.
Friday started off with a soaking! Since last night, some spots have picked up more than one inch of rain. The bulk of the rain will be behind us later this morning as the heaviest rain lifts north. A drier slot of air moves in later this morning bringing the bulk of the rain to an end. There will be some scattered showers mid to late afternoon as the cold front approaches. So have the rain gear with you. You might catch a few breaks around lunchtime and not even need to use it.
It’ll stay mild in the 50s for a good chunk of the day. All good things come to an end, and temperatures will plummet this evening. Arctic air plunging south comes up toward New England. The air mass will modifies as it comes from Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh and sweeps across the region. Between 5 and 8 pm, we’ll start to notice a dramatic drop in temperatures. Temperatures drop from the 40s to the 20s tonight, and eventually into the teens tomorrow morning! That’s a shock to the system!
If you’re out this evening, we don’t expect a flash freeze. There should be enough of a break in the rain with ongoing windy conditions to dry the road surfaces. That being said, leftover puddles and standing water could freeze. So watch for those slick surfaces.
Back to the cold, high temperatures max out in the upper 20s this weekend. It will be the coldest Christmas since 2013, remember that one? If you want a White Christmas, Nantucket is the place to be. Southwest winds will bring snow showers this weekend. That’s right, southwest winds will bring snow. Usually we get the ocean effect snow showers, from the north. The cold air will move across the relatively warmer Atlantic waters and could bring 1-2 inches of snow this weekend.
Beyond that, it will be cold for the Patriots game, so bundle up. It’ll be feel like the single digits to teens this weekend!
Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
-Melanie Black