Southern New England Weather

OVERVIEW: Big winter storm approaching the Northeast. Anomalously strong March low pressure currently located over Missouri will track east/north east and pass over Southern New England early Thursday am around 978mb ! This storm will bring a major snowfall to northern New England. With the storm track expected to track over/just south of Long Island this brings mild temperatures both at the surface and aloft to begin with rain changing to a period of wintry precipitation with crashing temperatures on the back side of strengthening low pressure moving over and northeast of Southern New England early Thursday am. This a a huge snowstorm and great news for ski country. Have a look at the 6 hr snowfall animation I put together for Weds-Thurs

SNE IMPACTS & TIMING: Heaviest snowfall expected to remain north of SNE. That does not mean we will escape impacts from this storm. It appears as though 1-2" of rainfall is likely across the region. The potential is there for a gusty thunderstorm as well Wednesday evening . South winds ahead of the storm may gust 35-45mph along south coastal locations Weds eve/early Thurs.  Light rain showers break out Wednesday morning from SW-NE and become steadier as the day goes on as low pressure approaches from the WSW. With low pressure moving over and eventually starting to pull off the the north east, rain will start to turn into a wintry mix over western SNE Weds eve into pre-dawn Thursday as colder air rushes in behind the departing storm. This creates an issue with a potential flash freeze. Even a small amount of snow or mix with temperatures crashing can create big problems. The Thursday morning commute looks rough. Light snow/mix showers could continue right into the early afternoon Thursday near the coast. Not much accumulation expected anywhere across SNE, but it wont take much with the expected crash in temperatures. Below is a graphic showing general precipitation types and timing potential with the upcoming storm.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW                                                     

EXPECTED SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND SNOWFALL THROUGH  THURSDAY MIDDAY