Weather

Snow, Rain Hit New England, Followed by Bracing Cold

The well-advertised weather pattern changes that deliver a winter preview and a shift toward a colder pattern are arriving to New England on Thursday.

A chilly start quickly has given way to milder temperatures in southern New England as the wind increases and mixes milder air toward the ground from its position above our heads. By the day’s end, high temperatures will reach the middle and upper 50s in Southern New England.

Meanwhile, northern New England will have trouble breaking past 40, particularly in areas where coating is on the ground.

As rain approaches from the southwest and snow slowly sinks south, both feeds of moisture converge and the northern cold will press southward gradually through the day, dropping the rain/snow line slowly south out of the mountains during the late day, accelerating after dark.

Still, the incoming cold air that wins out is also drier by nature, so outside of northern New England, it becomes harder to accumulate much meaningful snow because as we turn cold enough to turn rain to snow, the drier air starts shutting precipitation down.

The result will be amounts of 3-to-6-inches of snow in northern New England, with highest amounts in higher terrain. There will only a coating to an inch of snow in places like southwest New Hampshire into the grassy surfaces of north-central Massachusetts. A dusting on the grass is expected for some communities in the remainder of Southern New England.

Afterwards, a cold blast takes hold with temperatures Friday shy of 40 at the warmest time of the day and wind chill values of 15 to 25 degrees, but never above 30 degrees. This is owing both to the cold and a northwest wind that will be gusting to 40 mph.

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Saturday brings continued chilly air, but a much lighter wind will create a very different feeling. Sunday warmth attempts a return on an increasing southwest breeze that will result in increasing clouds and perhaps some sprinkles by afternoon, particularly in Northern New England.

The next storm to impact New England will come Monday night through Tuesday night, likely bringing more rain than snow for many of us, but quite possibly at least some of each before yet another shot of deep chill arrives for the middle of next week in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast.

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