Good morning folks, we’ve had isolated / patchy fog this morning (some of it dense) observed at Pittsfield, MA, Orange, MA and Westfield, MA and other parts of the CT River Valley with temps below freezing, meaning freezing fog which can ice up surfaces, and black ice is an issue as well so be careful this morning.

This issue will relent by mid morning or so as temps come up, fog dissipates, and black ice melts with highs expected to reach well into the 40s under partly to mostly sunny skies with southerly gusts up to 20mph at times.

Clouds will increase by afternoon as a weak warm front extends toward New England. This feature will push some scattered showers into our region between 3-9pm, roughly, with SVT, SWNH and far northwest MA seeing them more like 3-6pm, and a bit later south of there. Lows will dip into the upper 20s to mid 30s with more isolated freezing fog potential, and patchy black ice as snow melt refreezes.

While our January thaw *has* been milder in terms of temps, we just can’t seem to escape the winter precipitation threat, however, and this Saturday night will be no different.

Highs on Saturday will again climb into the 40s with some upper 30s in northern areas like SVT and SWNH, but as our primary storm passes to our northwest over the eastern Great Lakes and sends a precipitation plume our way in the form of mostly rainfall, at the same time a secondary low pressure system will be developing near Cape Cod and pulling slowly northeast, which will combine with colder high pressure to our north to drain in colder air at the surface into northern MA, VT and NH.

Rainfall will develop into northern CT from south to north by early to mid afternoon, and then press north and northeast through the rest of the region into the evening, with steady rainfall expected, and a bit heavy at times as well.

As this happens, colder air bleeds north to south at the surface, and some freezing rain is now expected in southern VT, southwest NH (especially in the high terrain), and probably the northern Berkshires into the northwest hilltowns, northern Franklin County and northern Worcester County. Sleet may mix in for a time, too.

This rainy, icy mess will wind down Sunday morning as colder air pulls into the region, and so we may see any lingering precip turn to snow showers before winding down by noon with highs in the 30s under partial sunshine.

As a cold front continues to run through the region, westerly gusts will pick up and blow 25-40mph at times, and we may see a few lake effect snow showers or a snow squall by Sunday later afternoon or night, most likely in the western high terrain (mountains west of I-91).

Sunday night into Monday look blustery and cold with lows in the upper teens to mid 20s and highs in the low to mid 30s.

A second (and likely final) push of milder air resurges into the region, with highs in the 40s Tuesday and Wednesday with fair weather expected, but cold will be rebuilding and loading in Canada, and is set to empty back into New England by Thursday or Friday.

In addition, there may be some storminess developing along the coastline by late next week, and if the new cold along a temperature clash zone (warmer air southeast, colder air northwest) hooks up with storm development, I can’t rule out a winter storm by next Friday, but it’s early yet, and I will keep you updated on how it all shakes out.

I hope you have a great day!

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”
― Joseph Campbell