Thursday afternoon features the most blue sky so far this year! Yes, it's only been a week, but who's counting?
Clouds remain rather stubborn over the Champlain Valley and much of the Canadian border region.
The old storm off Nova Scotia continues to generate a northerly flow over New England, but Canada is not very cold, that's why we are not too cold here in New England, relatively speaking for January.
After another little coating of snow on the Maine mid-coast and downeast Thursday morning, we have drier air coming Thursday night and Friday. Drier air means fewer clouds, which means colder air with lows in the 10s north and 20s south.
Also the dry air that delivers Friday's sun will be cool, Canadian air, not cold for this time of year, but cold enough, by nature, to hold temperatures Friday afternoon cooler than Thursday, even though the day brings more sunshine.
Our First Alert Weather Team has been watching a forecast storm south of New England, set to make its closest pass on Saturday, but we continue to think the system will stay well south of New England.
One subtlety Saturday will be the expansive counterclockwise flow of wind around the storm center, encouraging a northerly wind in New England. Wherever the wind flows across ocean water before making it to land – if it ends up a northeast wind – that would be much of eastern Massachusetts, but a northerly wind mostly would blow onto Cape Cod. Clouds will build Saturday and some flurries or snow showers are possible.
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Regardless, by Sunday another shot of cool and dry air returns on a renewed northwest wind, returning sunshine and ensuring next week will start dry and cool, too.
The next nearby storm is another one forecast to track south of New England late Tuesday, Tuesday night and early Wednesday, so our team will keep a close eye on the eventual track of that one, acknowledging a track far enough north would put southern New England in a snow shield on the north side of the system.
Yet another storm opportunity arises by late next week, though right now it appears to be more of an active frontal system more likely to deliver building clouds and snow showers, rather than a coastal storm that tends to bring the heaviest precipitation amounts. But again, we'll keep you posted in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast.
