Good morning and Happy first day of April! No, this isn’t an April Fools update, I promise. I wanted to jump on and provide details on the timing of this evening’s severe weather event. This mornings downpours and tonight’s storm are remnants of the damaging storms and tornados that ravaged the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys last night. Those who are waking up early and reading this, expect a soaker this morning for the entire Northeast.
Fortunately, downpours taper off late morning to early afternoon, giving way to clearing skies. Spring will sprout suddenly as a warm SW wind spikes temps into the mid to upper 60s, cooler along coastal sections (low 70s in DC)! This warm humid airmass will cause instability, leading to storms later in the evening. Enjoy it, and grab all the sun and warmth you can because it’ll be gone by Sunday morning. More on that sobering detail in a moment.
Given the warm SW winds, a Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until 10am for NE CT, C/E MA and N RI. Careful driving this morning given low visibility.
If you plan on outdoor bbqs after sundown, be prepared to bring it indoors. This squall line will pack a punch and will run from Cape May up to Conway. Primary impact will be strong to damaging winds, brief but heavy downpours, possible hail, some bonker boomers and bolts.
A Tornado Watch may be issued for the tri-state area including NJ, NYC and lower Hudson Valley. If any severe cells pop up I’ll be on Twitter (weatherremarks) providing up to the minute details. If you don’t have, create an account and follow me, or go to my website which shows my 5 most recent tweets (on the right column if viewing on a laptop or desktop, or if viewing on phone, scroll down until you see my tweets).
Timing:
For NJ on up to Hudson Valley expect this severe line to move in between 6-8pm, for NYC, W CT, W MA: 8-9pm, E LI, E CT, E MA, S NH: 9-10pm, Cape, SW ME: 10-11pm. These are approximate time ranges. The Yanks should be able to get their game in (1st pitch at 4:15pm). If going, expect a long ride home. Same for the Sox.
Sunday Back to Winter
This strong cold front will kick the mercury back to winter by Sunday morning with temps back in the 30s (rising only into the upper 30s in New England, low to mid 40s across the tri-state). Unseasonably chilly (see normal highs / lows above). Add in NW winds gusting to 25-45mph (which back off later in the day), will make today’s spring warmth a fleeting memory.
That’s it for now. Take a look at the latest snow totals below for this season vs each locations average. For the I95 corridor, if you’re a snow lover, ouch. For the Greens, Whites and N ME, the ski mountains had a spectacular winter, especially the back half. Dare I say, while a long shot, festive flakes may not be done just yet. The mercury does spike later this upcoming week, enjoy, but Easter Sunday and The Masters final round may be a bit chilly. Lurking the week of the 9th is another arctic blast but I’ll cover that in a later post. Again, enjoy the brief burst of spring, but be sure to keep your eyes on the sky. Tune in to Twitter for timing, track, and details on this potentially damaging storm. Ok, time for a nap! Because as you all know, weather never sleeps!
Yikes! Guess we might be hiding in an interior room later. 🙁
I’ll keep you posted!
ACK! I wish this were an April Fool’s joke. We are so ready for true spring around here! Thank you for the heads up that it’s not yet time to retire the winter wear.
Was considering a lengthy April Fools blizzard post, esp if we didn’t have today’s storm to discuss!