Gusty winds did more than rattle windows, sway trees and snap branches. They were working to get us back to winter Wednesday.
Indeed. Our highs in the low 50s in the morning crashed to the 30s by the evening. The cold winds will continue to nag us all night with wind chills in the single digits above and below zero. Frequent gusts will continue to make it into the 30 mph range well into the wee hours. It will take until Thursday afternoon for the wind to ease, as we turn our attention to a developing storm zooming to the Mid-Atlantic states.
Mostly Offshore
If you recall, we've been watching this storm since last week. Now it looks formidable and cold enough for an all snow setup. However, like all storms of this nature this winter, it's the track that has us wringing our hands. While we never really get the brunt of this storm to move into New England, a glancing shot may be good enough for a shield of snow to coat the Cape and Islands in a blanket of white. Elsewhere, near the Canal and up to the South Shore, the snow will be lighter and intermittent. And from Boston north, we're in the flurries and occasional snow shower. You can already get an idea in your mind how much (or little) snow may fall.
How Much?
There will be a serious enough threat to post winter storm watches for Cape Cod and the Islands on Friday. Here, we might see three to six inches, with a possibility of six to 10 inches on Nantucket! Elsewhere, I'm not seeing enough to cause alarm. Generally, expect a coating around Greater Boston to one to three inches on the South Shore to the canal. Storm arrival is expected on Friday morning with a departure on Friday night. A good 12-hour storm for us.
Brrr ... Then Break Out The Shorts
Highs all weekend will underwhelm us with a cold air mass in place, but just as quickly as it settled in, it will vanish next week. A major warm-up is in store as the pattern undergoes a major shift over North America. This could be an extended period of warm weather for the eastern two thirds of the country that could last through the middle of the month - with occasional cool intrusions.
Although well below normal, the next few days may be winter's last stand.
