HIGH WIND WARNINGS CONTINUE FOR TONIGHT AND THROUGH TOMORROW EVENING FOR THE ENTIRE REGION… WIND GUSTS TO 70MPH WERE MEASURED IN WESTERN NY THIS AFTERNOON … WE’VE HAD SUBSTANTIAL ICE ACCRETION IN WESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY AND SURROUNDING TOWNS WHICH IS WHERE THE HIGHEST CONCERN FOR SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES EXISTS AS THE FIRST BURST OF STRONG WIND MOVES IN BETWEEN 7-10PM… POTENTIAL WIND GUSTS TOMORROW AFTERNOON OF 45-65MPH WITH MORE OUTAGES EXPECTED IN THE BERKSHIRES, TACONICS, LITCHFIELDS, SOUTHERN GREENS, WESTERN HILLTOWNS, AND THE HIGH TERRAIN OF SOUTHWEST NH AND WORCESTER COUNTY… VALLEY COULD SEE SOME OUTAGES TOO… (6:10pm Sunday)

Good evening everybody, I am just going to focus on our incoming wind event because it’s enough of a headline to hang our collective hats on.

Yes, it will be cold Tuesday and Wednesday, yes light accumulating snow is possible Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and yes another wintry mix looks probable for Saturday.

However, for now, let’s focus on what’s arriving tonight and tomorrow, because as James Taylor famously crooned, “Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around”.

In fact, I’m quite convinced there’ll be some cranial rotation about our cervical spines over the next 24 hours. James knows.

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<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< EVENT SETUP --Secondary low pressure tracks northeast through southern New England tonight, and while still weak, it will be strengthening as it heads northeast into the Gulf of Maine --As it departs our region, any drizzle and fog will dissipate as the night wears on, and we will begin to dry out. We may nudge up a few degrees before the cold front moves thorugh later --Meanwhile, the parent low north of the Great Lakes will rip east, and is a powerful low in its own right. --This will drag some convective showers though the region west to east this evening in advance of the cold front which pushes through the region between 7:30-10pm --West winds will begin to gust strongly behind this front, and could reach speeds of 40-50mph in gusts --Our parent low will join forces with our southern New England low that will be bombing out in the Gulf of Maine and COMBINE to produce one large, deep area of low pressure over Newfoundland --This very low low, and a very high high over Minnesota will be responsible for our strong and, in some cases, damaging wind tomorrow TIMELINE OF EVENTS --Scattered showers, some briefly heavy, will move through with the cold front tonight 7-9pmish --After the front moves through, west winds will commence and gust 30-50mph from low to high terrain, generally --Additional rain showers from the lake effect will turn to snow showers overnight into tomorrow morning, and a coating to an inch or so is possible over the BLGTs (Berkshires, Litchfields, Greens and Taconics... GT stands for green tomatoes in this weak acronymic analogy, I'm trying, folks, I really am!) --WHERE ICE ACCRETION HAS HELD THIS EVENING I believe that tonight's initial around of wind will be enough to start kicking off some outages before dawn --I'm looking at you, western Franklin County, southernmost VT, and northeaster Berkshires --Lows for everyone will drop into the low to mid 20s tonight as cold air advection gets underway --Scattered snow showers and possible a squall can be expected overnight into tomorrow afternoon --Highs will not rise a whole lot tomorrow, cresting into the mid to upper 20s with mostly cloudy skies and a few sunny periods possible --As our low bombs out east of Maine into a 970mb powerful low, a 1040mb powerful high flexes over the north-central U.S. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Would you like to become a key pillar of DHTWN’s Support Network to help ensure that these reports continue to flow? Secure Support Link (Check, PayPal, Cards): https://westernmassweather.com/donate
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< --Our region will be in this pressure gradient squeeze play. --Since wind is air moving from high pressure to low, the westerlies are going to flat out RIP at times tomorrow morning and especially as a low level jet streak passes a mile over our heads blowing at 70 knots --The air from that level down to the ground is expected to not have any real impediments to downward transfer, and so this is why gusts to 50mph in the valley and up to 65mph in the high terrain (maybe 70mph in the southern Greens?) is expected, and why High Wind Warnings are hoisted. --Again the peak of the winds moves through late morning through mid afternoon WIND DAMAGE, OUTAGES, TRAVEL IMPACTS --Downed limbs, trees and power lines are all expected to be scattered about the region, should the highest wind gusts verify --High profile vehicles such as buses, tractor trailers, box trucks etc. are most susceptible to catching wind like a sail and causing problems --Some school cancellations or early dismissals may be possible, so stay tuned to your districts --I am most concerned for outages in the high terrain, and especially the areas that have extra weight from accreted ice on trees and power lines MONDAY NIGHT INTO MID WEEK --By Monday night, snow showers will be on the wane, winds will be past their peak, but will still be gusting 30-45mph --With lows in the single digits, wind chills at times will dip below zero and Wind Chill Advisories may need to be posted, I mean, hoisted. Hoisted is what I meant to say --Like I said, Tuesday looks blustery and very cold with highs in the teens and 20s and lows in the single digits, with similar highs on Wednesday, but it looks mostly sunny, at least. --Light snow possible Wed. night, a 1-3" accumulation type event perhaps Ok folks, that does it for now, I just wanted to get you prepared for what's about to transpire wind-wise. Hopefully the worst of the potential impacts will not be realized, but the potential is there, and express it I will, with vigor. Have a great night, and please post any wind or damage reports below this post. Be safe... ------------------------------- To become a key pillar of DHTWN’s Support Network to help ensure that these reports continue to flow, click the Secure Support Link below (Check, PayPal, Cards): https://westernmassweather.com/donate
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FREEZING RAIN TO CONTINUE IN PARTS OF THE WESTERN HILLTOWNS, SVT, AND SWNH INTO EARLY AFTERNOON… GUSTY SHOWERS WITH COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE AROUND DINNER TIME TONIGHT… SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE AS WIND PICKS UP TONIGHT… HIGH WIND WARNINGS CONTINUE… (11:30am Sunday)

Good morning everybody, please post your updated condition reports below, if you would.

Remarkably, rain continues across WMass even though the radars have gone quiet. There is plenty of low level moisture that is generating rain below the radar beam.

At the same time, there are many 31 and 32 degree readings in the western hilltowns (generally north of the Pike), as well as SW.NH and parts of S.VT near the spine of the southern Greens.

Freezing rain will continue into the early afternoon with freezing rain or freezing drizzle.

We should be drying by early to mid afternoon, but a cold front will be moving in quickly by the evening.

A line of gusty showers should accompany the cold frontal passage, and winds will pick up behind it, gusting 20-40mph out of the west.

A few snow showers or even a snow squall is also possible, especially in SVT and WMass north of the Pike.

I will post a full update this evening as our wind event gets underway.

If you live in the high terrain of the Berkshires, Taconics, Litchfields, western hilltowns, southern Greens, and the highlands of Cheshire County NH or Worcester County in MA, you would be prudent to check that you have supplies to get you through a power outage, as some outages are expected late tonight, and more so through tomorrow afternoon as the strongest winds move through.

I will update you later, thanks in advance for the reports!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Do you value this community resource and want to see it continue? Secure Support Link (Check, PayPal, Cards): https://westernmassweather.com/donate <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ----- FREEZING RAIN THIS MORNING FOR MANY AS HEAVIER PRECIP MOVES INTO THE REGION AS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES CONTINUE... SOME SNOW/SLEET MIXED POSSIBLE NORTH OF RT. 2... HIGH WIND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN HOISTED FOR THE ENTIRE REGION FOR TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW... (6:50am Sunday) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Do you feel underserved by traditional local weather media? Secure Support Link (Check, PayPal, Cards): https://westernmassweather.com/donate
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Good morning everybody, at least in the valley, snow and sleet failed to materialize as the precipitation shield never coalesced into a steadier band, and has been rather weak and fragmented overnight. Is anyone seeing snow or sleet at this time? I'm wondering about areas along and north of Rt. 2. Let me know. Please post your condition reports below! I do know that ice glaze has formed in many communities with slippery surfaces. Areas north of Rt. 2 are all at or below freezing in the upper 20s to low 30s. Many of us, in fact, are at or below freezing, although along and south of the Pike into northern CT temps are starting to rise above freezing where plain rain is reported in Springfield, for example. Otherwise, all major automated stations are reporting freezing rain as of 6am. REST OF THE DAY --Heavier rain is moving into the region as I type, and that will cause an icing threat to strengthen over the next few hours into the mid morning. --While folks along and south of the Pike should generally see plain rain, with some pockets of freezing rain in higher terrain areas, freezing rain will occur north of the Pike through mid morning --The Berkshires, hilltowns and up into SVT, SWNH and Worcester County highlands could see icing last until late morning before we wall warm up enough to change to plain rain --As a secondary low passes by today, precip should quit by early to mid afternoon, with only passing, scattered showers possible thereafter into the evening --Highs today should reach the upper 30s to low 40s with lows in the mid to upper 20s --The cold front passes this evening, and westerly winds will pick up behind it, first mixing to the surface in the high terrain where gusts over 40mph are possible tonight --As our Great Lakes rips up the St. Lawrence River Valley in southeast Canada and bombs out into a very powerful mid-latitude cyclone, winds will only increase across southern New England overnight tonight and through tomorrow, peaking in the afternoon --Wind gusts of 45-65mph will be possible tomorrow, and as such will cause power outages in places, as well as tree damage --Highs on Monday will be in the upper 20s to low 30s and plummet to the teens overnight with gusts 35-50mph possible, with wind chills in the single digits --Tuesday and Wednesday are unseasonably cold winter days with highs in the 20s and lows in the single digits, with light snow possible Wednesday as a Clipper system tries to work through the region Have a great day and be careful on the roads this morning! Give yourself extra time, it's slippery out and will be for the next several hours for many. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Would you like to become a key pillar of DHTWN’s Support Network? Secure Support Link below (Check, PayPal, Cards): https://westernmassweather.com/donate
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