Forecast discussion: After seeing the changeover to snow earlier Thursday morning, we have only see some accumulation in the northeast corner of Rhode Island and central Massachusetts. Places like Cumberland, RI and Mansfield, MA have seen about 3 inches already today. Norton, MA has just checked in with 8 inches. As we progress through tonight and into Friday, this is the time we will see snow sticking to the ground. Also, some areas may see some power outages, due to the combination of wet snow on power wires, as well as strong wind gusts during the overnight hours.
As the low pressure system continues to bring strong winds to the region, especially along the coastlines, we will see heavier bands of precipitation move in an east to west direction. The National Weather Service has a Winter Weather Advisory for central and southern Rhode Island, while northern Rhode Island has a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 1 p.m. Friday. The north and central part of the state will see the most snowfall by tomorrow, while the coastline sees about 2-4 inches. Block Island will see mostly rain, but the biggest concern is strong winds, with wind gusts as high as 60 mph. They are under a High Wind Warning, until the same time as the other advisories.
The snow will begin to taper off by the late afternoon, and will come to an end before midnight. We will still have mostly cloudy skies, with some partial clearing on Saturday. I have put my final snowfall totals down in the 72 hour forecast. But, with warmer temperatures into early next week, the snow should quickly melt.
An upper level ridge will move over the eastern U.S. early next week. This ridge will allow warmer air to filter into Southern New England. So, we will see mostly sunny skies for Sunday and Monday, with high temperatures rising into the upper 40’s. In fact, we may reach 50 degrees by Tuesday afternoon.
However, we will begin to lose the sunshine once again. A cold front will bring some showers into the state. Right now, the American model is moving the front quite slowly, while the European model moves the front a little faster. Right now, I will forecast showers developing by the morning commute, and ending by the late evening. But, I may change the timing of the shower activity if the European model keeps consistency over the next few days.
After the cold front passes, our temperatures will return to normal. Colder air behind the front will bring our high temperatures back to seasonable conditions, which would be the lower to middle 40’s.
72 hour forecast:
Tonight: Light to moderate snow across the state, with the higher snow amounts in the northeast corner of the state. It will remain windy, with a low of 29. Isolated power outages are possible.
Friday: Moderate snow through the morning, with light snow into the afternoon. The highest snowfall will be in places like Cumberland, with 8-12 inches. Most of the state will see 4-8 inches. About 20 miles from the coast, they will see 2-4 inches. I’m expecting a high of 37, with north-northeast winds of 20-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.
Friday night: Light snow ends before midnight. Partly to mostly cloudy skies expected during the overnight with a low of 27. Winds will come from the north at 13-18 mph.
Saturday: Partly to mostly sunny with a high of 43.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy with a low of 32.
Sunday: Mostly sunny with a high of 47.
Sunday night: Clear to partly cloudy skies with a low of 33.
Extended Forecast:
Monday: Mostly sunny during the day, with increasing clouds in the evening. Highs 49-52, lows 37-40.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with showers developing in the morning, ending in the evening. Highs 50-53, lows 32-35.
Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny and cooler. Highs 44-47, lows 29-32.
Thursday: Partly sunny. Highs 41-44, lows 28-31.
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