Blog: Cold air returns ahead of our next round of rain and snow this weekend

It’s not hot. It will probably snow this weekend.

That’s all we need to know, isn’t it? My job would be a lot easier if it was…

The cold air has made a triumphant return today and with it comes a biting breeze from the north and northeast. Temperatures have dropped into the 30’s and this is where they will stay during the day. With a mix of sun and cloud, the northern breeze will continue to blow over 25 mph every now and then, so you’ll feel like you’re in your 20s all day. Beautiful.

The breeze is receding this evening as the sky clears, but since the cold air has set in, temperatures will drop into the high 20s by dawn tomorrow. More sunshine is expected on what will be a calmer day as things remain chilly. The peaks will be held in the mid-30s.

Then, as we head into the weekend…that’s when it all gets fun. A coastal low is forming and with it will come our next round of rain and snow.

Expect rain showers to arrive from the south by Friday evening. Friday afternoon temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s! But there will be cold air nearby to the north, so towards the end of the night and on Saturday morning, this rain will turn to snow. The snow is likely to carry us through Saturday morning, with the possibility that it will linger into the early hours of the afternoon.

The northeast wind with this system is going to be pushed, so watch out for high tide on Saturday morning, around 6am there might be a few areas of tidal flooding.

As for snow, accumulations are likely with this next round – but as to how much is still uncertain. We know the northeast will be slammed, potentially a blockbuster from a storm. For us? Maybe more than something we can handle.

It’s still too early for specifics, but as of now we can say there’s a good chance we’re dealing with a few inches of snow, and even a decent chance of seeing several inches.

Questions arise with the timing of this system and where the rain/snow line sets in. A faster-paced system would bring less snowfall, while a slow-moving storm would dump more snow. If the rain-snow line is further north on Friday night, that means more rain than snow. If the rain snow line is further south on Friday night, that means more snow.

Long story short, it’s still a little early to nail down exact details, but things are much more concordant and aligned at this point in the forecast compared to last week. So expect snow when you wake up Saturday morning!

As always, this is a fluid situation, succumb to the changes to keep checking the forecast for updates in the coming days!

Good news (similar to last week) with this round is timing. Most of the precipitation doesn’t arrive until late Friday, and it starts out as rain, so we don’t see any major problems on the roads for the rest of the work week.

Still plenty of time to watch and prepare!

Meteorologist Steve Fundaro