Just a quick update on our Christmas Eve / Christmas Day storm. I have no significant changes but just wanted to zero in on approximate timing on when to expect the heaviest rain and wind gusts. Please refer back to my post yesterday on the details of the storm. Hopefully I got my point across in yesterday’s post to take this seriously. I would still absolutely plan for the possibility of wide spread power outages. If you have not done so yet, bring in loose items, take down any decorations that can be blown away, charge all electronics and phones, and move cars away from trees if possible.
Max Rain/Wind Gusts in Tri-State
For tri-state area (NJ/NYC/LI/Hudson Valley), light showers begin late this afternoon from the SW to NE getting steadier and intensifying through out the night. The main squall line containing the heaviest rainfall is expected to arrive between 12am and 4am (not the best time for Midnight Mass), tapering off later in the morning. Winds pick up throughout the day and get stronger later in the evening hours, with the strongest gusts overnight. Unless your a deep sleeper, it’s going to be a long night. Temps climb throughout the day and believe it or not peak in the mid 60s in the middle of the night. Then Mercury steadily drops all day bottoming out in the 20s by Saturday morning. Remote but you may see some festive flakes Christmas night.
Timing of Heaviest Rainfall in NE
Further northeast into Southern New England on up to Maine, its mainly a tranquil day with skies becoming overcast in the afternoon. Showers to heavier downpours move in overnight into Christmas morning ahead of the squall line, becoming heavier throughout the day yet tapering off before or near sundown. The main line moves through I91 from New Haven to Norwich between 7am and 9am traveling East, between 9am and 11am further east from Newport to Nashua on North up I93, and finally along to the Seacoast between 11am and 1pm from Boston to Bartlett up to Berlin, on east (afternoon to sundown) to Maine, from Brunswick to Bar Harbor. Winds will pick up overnight ahead of the heavy rain and squall line, the strongest being approximately in the above time ranges. Rain will taper off around sundown for most of New England. Unfortunately, it’ll be a very difficult day for travel, especially in the morning to early afternoon. So if you need to be on the road, the later the better.
Timing of Max Wind Gusts in NE
Please see attached forecasted model runs also for approximate timing on the heavier rain and wind gusts. In sum, this storm should not be taken lightly. Even if these wind gusts don’t reach the forecasted levels, they still will create plenty of downed limbs, trees and some power lines. Wide spread outages across the Northeast are expected, and with cold temps forecasted, please plan accordingly. Rapid snow melt from flooding rains will also be a major problem, especially further north. Some estimates are comparing this to Hurricane Irene’s impact in New England, but we’ll see. Can’t forget possible tornados in the Carolinas and possible Blizzard conditions around Cleveland! That’s it for now folks. Stay safe, plan, check on your elderly neighbors throughout of the storm, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas to you and your families. Stay tuned and follow my Twitter page at Weatherremarks for all the latest live updates through out the storm, including storm chasing videos and pics (maybe). If you don’t use Twitter, jump on my site here and scroll down to see my 5 most recent tweets! And as many of us won’t be tonight, remember weather never sleeps!
