ICE STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES CONTINUE… MILDER AIR HAS KEPT MANY LOW ELEVATION VALLEY LOCATIONS AS PLAIN RAIN OVERNIGHT… MODERATE TO HEAVY FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN MOVING THROUGH WMASS AT 6:45AM… LULL THEREAFTER, THEN MORE RAIN AND ICE LATER IN MORE SHOWERY FORM…. MANY FLIP TO SLEET THIS EVENING BEFORE FLIPPING OVER TO FREEZING DRIZZLE AND DRIZZLE LATER TONIGHT… THREAT FOR ICE OVER HALF INCH THICK HAS SHIFTED NORTH INTO NORTHEAST BERKSHIRES, NORTHWESTERN HILLTOWNS OF WESTERN HAMPSHIRE/HAMPDEN, AND SOUTHERN VT EITHER SIDE OF THE BENNINGTON/WINDHAM COUNTIES BORDER… NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY INTO SOUTHWEST NH MAY HAVE A FEW THICK-ICE POCKETS, TOO… PLEASE POST YOUR REPORTS BELOW! (7AM Monday)

Good morning everybody, just focusing on the storm today and tonight into New Year’s Eve for now. New Year’s Day looks tranquil and partly sunny and above-freezing.

SUMMARY
–Temps are in the upper 20s to mid 30s, basically 29-34 degrees across much of the region
–Icing has occurred and is occurring in the high terrain mainly above 1000 feet, with a few slick spots and mostly plain rain south of that elevation level, and that should continue today
–As you can see in the attached map, high pressure is moving into the crown of Maine
–Cold air damming got started too late to produce a widespread ice storm into the valley, and cold air wasn’t in place ahead of this storm’s arrival, hence plain rain
–Primary low pressure is in eastern Michigan
–Secondary low is starting to slowly take shape near the Appalachians and will track northeast off of the NJ coast and over southeast MA tonight
–The “X’s” mark areas of precipitation developing in scattered, showery form, but will fill in with time today as our secondary storm develops and moves closer
–After a slug of icing and rain this morning, we will move into a lull by about 9am, with a few icy or rain showers at times into the early afternoon
–East and northeast winds will pick up, and gust to 35mph or so across the higher terrain of the Berkshires, western hills, Litchfields, Taconics and SVT, with lesser gusts in the northern Worcester hills up into SW.NH
–Highs are going to bump a couple of degrees, but should stay pretty much where they are due to cold air drain southwestward from the high near Maine
–Essentially through mid afternoon after about 9am, it should be plain rain showers at times in the lower elevation valley locations, and freezing rain in the high terrain, with continued ice accretion
–Some sleet will mix in at times north of Route 2 corridor until later afternoon
–As colder air at the mid levels aloft crashes east through the WMass region by mid to late afternoon into early evening with our secondary low tracking south of Long Island, many of us should flip to sleet, or a mix of sleet and freezing rain, possibly into the valleys as well
–This should last into the evening, and then a dry slot works through, by 9pm or so tonight, flipping us to freezing drizzle and plain drizzle
–Lows will be in the low 30s

IMPACTS
–Freezing rain ice accretions are expected to be a quarter to half inch in many high terrain areas, with over half inch in the northeast Berkshires, northwestern hilltowns of Hampshire and Franklin County (though some areas of western Hampden County will also see higher ice accretions), SVT and possibly some northern Worcester County towns up into parts of SW.NH
–This is where the greatest chance for power outages and tree damage will be today
–Northeast Litchfield County and the southeast Berkshires still has to be watched as well with a quarter to half inch of ice possible there, but I don’t think the highest ice of over half inch will be seen there. We shall see
–The valley locations from Greenfield to Springfield should see rain, with some sleet and freezing rain/drizzle possible later
–Basically, where ever you have ice accretion now, expect slick travel today, and be careful if you have to go out
–Travel is not advised in areas of continued freezing rain

TOMORROW
–This system should be pulling away, though some mixed showers are possible during the day with highs 35-40 degrees, and low 30s over the high terrain where some snow showers will be possible
–New Year’s Eve could see a few snow showers, otherwise mostly cloudy with temps in the low 30s by midnight, and upper 20s for lows by dawn
–Watch out for black ice tomorrow night

Have a great day, and I will update around noon, or as needed before then.

Please post your condition reports below, thanks!