Historic Snowstorm in the Making?

Get ready for Blizzard mania. As we speak, the NWS in Taunton has issued a Blizzard Watch for much of eastern MA for Friday into Saturday. It seems only fair that we finally break our snowstorm streak with a potential historic storm. There have been at least 6 storms that have just missed us over the last few weeks, many becoming quite big just offshore, leaving us with a lot of dustings. Its as if the atmosphere was teasing us. Not this time.

Let's get down to the details...

Time-frame: By early Friday morning (3-7AM) light snow should have broken out across much of the area. The snow will be light at first, but it will start to accumulate almost immediately. And the intensity of the storm will only increase throughout the day, peaking by Friday afternoon into the evening. At the storms peak, we will be talking about heavy snow and very gusty winds (20-45mph+) creating blizzard conditions, especially at the coast.

Snow Totals: This is the question everyone wants to ask. How much? In one short answer, a lot! This storm will be the result of two pieces of energy,one from the Great Lakes and one from the Gulf, phasing at just the right time, much like puzzle pieces. As is typical, a second storm will develop along the coast and travel just to the south of New England on Friday night, all the while "bombing out" and developing into a very formidable storm. This thing comes packed with LOTS of moisture and we will have the benefit of some very cold air locked into the area by the time it arrives. What this equates to is snow for everyone and a lot of it.

I think a fair estimate for snow totals would be 15-20 inches for much of MA, including Boston. With that said, it is quite likely that some areas will exceed 2 feet of snow, especially near and along 128 and 495. This storm will become so strong, it may drag in some warm air off the ocean (currently 41 degrees) to change the IMMEDIATE coast, south shore and Cape Cod to a mix at some point on Friday. However, everyone will be back into the heavy snow by Friday night as the cold air comes rushing back in as the storm reaches its peak intensity.

Needless to say, this storm is going to create quite a mess and I would expect most schools and businesses to close on Friday. The fact that the storm will only get stronger in the middle of the day makes it very dangerous to have people out on the roads.

Just under 48 hours until game time. Lots can change in that amount of time. Stay tuned for updates!