Saturday, April 1, 2017

April Fools' Day Winter Storm Is No Joke: Up to 12'+ of Snow Possible





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April Fools' Day Winter Storm Is No Joke: Up to 12'+ of Snow Possible
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    Winter Storm Central

    Winter Storm Theseus Brings April Fools' Snow, Ice To Parts of the Northeast

    By Linda Lam
    Apr 1 2017 05:30 AM EDT
    weather.com

    Spring Thaw Releasing Ice-coated House

    A house in New York encrusted by wind-blown ice from Lake Ontario begins to thaw. 
    Story Highlights
    Winter Storm Theseus is bringing accumulating snow and ice to portions of New England, New York state.
    Wintry precipitation will gradually end by late Saturday.
    Rain is expected along the southern New England coast southward into the mid-Atlantic.
    Winter Storm Theseus is bringing a swath of accumulating snow and ice to parts of the Northeast – a cruel April Fools' joke from Mother Nature.
    (MORE: How Winter Storms Are Named | Winter Storm Central)
    But this forecast calls for nothing like the epic April Fools' Day Blizzard that brought feet of snow to the region 20 years ago.
    The National Weather Service has posted winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories across portions of New England, upstate New York and northeast Pennsylvania. Additionally, a freezing rain advisory is in effect for the Poconos.
    The city of Boston is currently under a winter storm warning, where rain is expected to change to snow Saturday morning.

    Winter Alerts
    Winter Alerts
    As of early Saturday, 11.5 inches has fallen near Bethel, Vermont and 9.0 inches of snow has accumulated in Laconia, New Hampshire. See below for more snow reports
    Current Radar, Temperatures, Conditions
    Current Radar, Temperatures, Conditions
    On Saturday, an area of low pressure will intensify off the Northeast coast. This system will have plenty of moisture associated with it from the western Atlantic, which will bring moderate to heavy rain and snow to the region.
    This low-pressure system is then expected to pull away from the Northeast by Saturday night.
    An area of low pressure will intensify off the Northeast coast, enhancing rain and snow through Saturday.
    Enough cold air will be in place over interior New England and portions of upstate New York, for snow and some sleet accumulation to occur.
    (MORE: This Was Your Coldest Temperature of Winter 2016-17)
    Given the time of year and the onshore easterly wind expected, some parts of southern New England may see little to no accumulating snow because temperatures likely will remain above freezing. This may also help to minimize the impact on roads in many areas.
    Some of the valleys of upstate New York may see a mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow.

    Forecast Timeline

    Saturday
    • Precipitation will persist in New England and upstate New York before the low pulls away by Saturday night. Rain will change to snow in many areas during the morning.
    • Snow will continue to accumulate in western and southern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and eastern New York, with a mix of rain and snow in far southern and southeast New England. 
    • Rain is expected from Cape Cod into southern Connecticut, Long Island and northern New Jersey.
    • Wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible along the coast in southeast New England and eastern Long Island.
    • FORECAST: Bangor, Maine | Nantucket, Massachusetts | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Burlington, Vermont
    Saturday's Forecast
    Saturday's Forecast
    Minor coastal flooding is expected also occur during high tide Saturday afternoon on the Jersey shore and in southeast New England.

    How Much Snow Will Fall?

    A broad swath from southern Maine into New Hampshire, Vermont, western, central and far northern Massachusetts and the Adirondacks of upstate New York is expected to pick up at least 6 inches of snow from Theseus by late Saturday.
    The heaviest totals, well over a foot of snow, are expected in the highest elevations of those areas.
    These accumulations of wet, heavy snow could result in downed tree limbs, powerlines and power outages.
    There will likely be a large gradient in snowfall totals across metropolitan Boston from the south side (lighter) to the west and north sides (heavier).
    Snowfall Forecast Through Saturday
    Snowfall Forecast Through Saturday
    (MAPS: Precipitation Forecast)
    Some sleet and freezing rain accumulations are also possible, which could result in patchy accumulation of ice in some areas. The highest risk of ice accumulation is in the Worcester Hills, the east slopes of the Berkshires and the Poconos.
    In areas where rain is the predominant precipitation type, rainfall amounts of up to 2 inches are possible. The greatest rainfall totals will likely be found toward the Northeast coast.

    Snow Reports So Far

    Here are selected snowfall reports through early Saturday:
    • Connecticut: 1.0 inch in Staffordville and Windsor Locks
    • Maine: 8.3 inches in Hollis
    • Massachusetts: 5.5 inches in Pepperell
    • New Hampshire: 9.0 inches in Laconia
    • New York: 5.5 inches in Wells and Lake Desolation
    • Vermont: 11.5 inches near Bethel
    At the Pocono Mountains Airport in Pennsylvania, 0.13 inches of ice was reported Saturday morning.

    April Fools' Day Blizzard Was 20 Years Ago

    This snowfall in the Northeast is not the first time for such an occurrence on April Fools' Day.
    In 1997, heavy snow buried portions of central and southern New England into the Catskills of New York and the Poconos of Pennsylvania from March 31 to April 1.
    Snowfall accumulation map from Mar. 31- Apr. 1, 1997. (NOAA)
    The low-pressure system moved over the Ohio Valley and than quickly intensified off the Northeast coast. This system moved slowly, which resulted in an extended period of heavy snow. Thundersnow was reported and snow fell at rates of up to 3 inches per hour.
    It was a heavy, wet snow that was accompanied by strong winds. This damaged trees and brought down powerlines.
    (MORE: Extreme Winter Storms That Struck in Spring)
    After reaching a high of 63 degrees on March 30, Boston then saw 25.4 inches of snow during the storm. More than a foot of snow fell as far south as Providence, which measured 18.0 inches.
    Worcester received 33.0 inches from this snowstorm. This set a record at the time for most snow in a snowstorm, but that record was broken with Winter Storm Juno in January 2015.
    Snow totals of up to 3 feet were reported, including in Milford, Massachusetts, and East Jewitt, New York.
    MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Stella, March 2017 (PHOTOS)
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