The Big One

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Well, it's lock and load folks. The finer points of the forecast are coming together, but I will add that we still don't have the entire picture of this evolving event Friday and Saturday.

But it's certainly enough to put down some serious numbers:

We're talking about a memorable storm here - possibly epic for Eastern Mass. Last night, we were looking for that missing ingredient to tip the scales at 2 feet, and this morning it showed up on the weather maps. That key feature is called a cut-off low. When the storm deepens east of Cape Cod, it will actually cut off from the jetstream and temporarily stall - for up to 6 hours. This is when we'll get hammered with snow and wind. Snowfall rates could approach 2-4 inches per hour if thunderstorms get going. Yes, I said thunderstorms. These are reserved for only the most intense storms, and this one fits the bill.

Mix and rain are almost side issues with this storm. Certainly they will cut down on snow totals as reflected in the above amounts, but eventually everyone will be snow when the storm stalls and the cold smacks back into Mass. on the north wind.

Timeline:

First flakes in the 7am-10am timeframe Friday morning.

Steadier snow throughout the morning and afternoon. Roads still passable and navigated with caution.

Heavier snow late afternoon/evening.

Midnight Friday night into Saturday AM: go time. Roads difficult to maneuver or impassable. Plows will have a hard time keeping up.

Storm wraps by late AM/early PM Saturday, but flakes may still be flying into the evening!

See what I mean about the changeover issue not being a big deal? In this long duration storm, the first part of the event (with the changeover) will be obscured by the heavy hand of white outs and near blizzard conditions at the height of the storm.

There's much more ahead. Stay with 7News and follow us on Twitter for the latest updates:

@pbouchardon7

@jreineron7

@clamberton7

Pete

Can Only Go Up From Here

Posted by Chris Lambert

Rain and drizzle continues tonight as temperatures drop into the mid 30s to 40 degrees.  Any burst of heavier precip drags down colder air, and elevations above 1000 feet in northern Worcester County  or southwester NH see wet snow mixing in overnight.  No shovels or plows needed for us, but it is a sure sign how cold the atmosphere is for late May.  As of this writing, Mt. Mansfield in VT has picked up 7.5" of snow and Whiteface Mtn. in NY has picked up 18"!

This Is How It Starts? Really?

Posted by Chris Lambert

So it's the unofficial start of summer this weekend and officially, the average high this time of year hits 70 degrees.  So you'd think we have a good shot at BBQ weather right?  Not much of a chance today with highs reaching near 50 this morning, only to fall back into the low to mid 40s this afternoon as a cold rain settles in. 

Take the Good, Take the Bad

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Rain, rain, rain...

...but for many today was a day of hurry up and wait. Sure there were showers, but not every minute was washed out. With the events unfolding tonight, that's about to change.

How To Spin This

Posted by Jeremy Reiner

So....what would you like to hear first? The good news? Bad news? Let's start with the good news....