Happy Friday! Hope everyone is hanging in there. We end our chilly week after last weekends storm which lived up to its billing for the most part. Hurricane force winds (74+mph) slammed coastal sections of DE NJ LI and MA with wide spread 1-3″ of flooding downpours and plenty of power outages. There was structural damage to historic Cape May buildings. See chart below with top gusts across the region (82mph in Island Beach State Park took the top prize in NJ).
We can expect another brisk day with temps topping out in the low 50s (we had winter like temps this morning with wide spread 20s and 30s, 21°F in Sandyston in NNJ as well in the Pine Barrons). Today’s sunny skies give way to increasing clouds mid day. Showers move in later in the afternoon but mainly in central to northern NJ into NYC, before becoming steadier later in the evening. Rain becomes heavier overnight, especially in SENJ early Saturday morning but clearing out the rest of the day. There’s chance of some light snow in extreme NWNJ (mostly coating on non paved surfaces). But the I80 Special I alluded to in my title remains north of us which I discuss below. We remain chilly later Saturday with temps in the upper 40s to low 50s but warmup into low 60s with sunny skies Sunday.
Southern New England
We have ourselves a narrow band of accumulating snow traveling east along Route 80. Currently snowing in South Bend, Toledo and Cleveland, the system moves through northern PA/southern NY border this afternoon. Once it arrives in the mid to upper Hudson Valley (south of Poughkeepsie sees little if any accumulation), snow becomes heavier initially as it spreads eastward through southern New England through the overnight hours. Any precip tapers off late Saturday morning w rap around snow squalls and showers later in day. Southern NE will be waking up Saturday to a winter wonderland. Snow will be heavy and will stick to trees, weighing them down, perhaps snapping some limbs leading to isolated power outages.
Elevation comes into play with totals, especially the lower Adirondacks, and western to central sections of Mass. While the narrow band of snow will spread mainly in Mass, it may expand a bit on the northern fringe of CT and southern VT and NH. NWS issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 11pm tonight though noon Saturday for areas above (little accumulation is expected near the coast in Boston down the Cape). It’s been over 30 yrs since Boston received measurable snow this late in April). Totals will range between 1-6″ across S NE, again impacting the higher terrain. Take your pics quick because it won’t last. We go from Winter to Spring literally overnight as the mercury climbs into the upper 50s to low 60s under mostly sunny skies on Sunday.
Please try to enjoy Sunday as a cooler and wet pattern persists off and on next week. It’s déjà vu all over again for the southeast part of the United States as severe weather impacts MS AL TN and GA unfortunately again this weekend with strong storms and possible tornados (not as bad as last weekend though). Fortunately, it won’t have the same impact to Northeast this time. More severe weather is possible for the SE and next Thursday as well. The above average water temps in the Gulf of Mexico is doing its dirty work and supplying moisture to these storms. This very warm water along with above average sea surface temps on the East Coast may be foreshadowing for an active Hurricane season coming up. Just what we need. Details later. That’s it for now. Stay healthy and try to laugh a little everyday. And remember, weather never sleeps!