Parts Of Massachusetts Could Get 10 Inches Of Heavy, Wet Snow Saturday

BOSTON (CBS) – The weather forecast for snow and rain this weekend in southern New England has been a tough one to pin down. Over the last week or so, models have gone from nothing at all, to a warm and windy rainstorm to a wintry nor’easter and back again. Currently, as of this writing, about 24 hours from the storm’s arrival, we still have a range of solutions which is not ideal. Winter Storm Watches have been posted ahead of this storm. These watches will likely be hoisted to Winter Storm Warnings Friday afternoon, with the likelihood of a foot of snow increasing. (WBZ-TV graphic) This forecast is trickier than we’d like to have this close to the storm’s peak. A wide range of model outputs show loads of snow for central and eastern Massachusetts. While this cannot be ruled out completely, these raw model outputs are neglecting a few items. First, these model outputs are typically fixed at a 10:1 ratio of 10 inches of snow for every 1 inch of rain. With only marginally supportive temperatures expected for the duration of the storm, the ratio the WBZ-TV weather team is using is closer to 7:1. Secondly, the ocean is still quite warm, ranging from 45-50 degrees, significantly above average for this time of year. So, any wind off the water (which of course applies in a nor’easter) is going to flood the shoreline with mild air. Also, there really isn’t any significant source of cold air around. Most times, in order to get a big snowstorm in our area...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Beyond The Forecast Blogs Boston News CBS Boston Blogs Featured Syndicated CBSN Boston Syndicated Local Boston Weather Snow Source Type: news