Statement as of 4:37 PM EDT on April 10, 2007
... Winter Storm Watch in effect from late Wednesday night through
Thursday afternoon...
The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Winter Storm
Watch... which is in effect from late Wednesday night through
Thursday afternoon.
The eventual wintry weather outcome will depend on how fast a coastal
low develops Thursday morning.
For now... a period of moderate to heavy snow and sleet is forecast
Thursday over the northwest third of Massachusetts into south central
New Hampshire.
Travel should be slowed... especially over higher terrain.
The heaviest snow and sleet is forecast to occur between 7 am and 3
PM.
The region whioch has the highest chance to receive more than 6 inches
of snow and sleet within an 8 hour period extends from Franklin and
Hampshire counties of northwest Massachusetts through the northern
portions op Worcester... Middlesex and Essex counties in north central
and far northeast Massachusetts... then northward into the Monadnocks
of south central New Hampshire.
A Winter Storm Watch for a potentially heavy late season snow also covers
southern Vermont up into central New Hampshire.
The snow is likely to fall at the rate of an inch an hour for two or
3 hours during the morning and become a wet slushy and difficult to
remove snow during the afternoon... especially as it becomes mixed
with sleet or rain.
If amounts exceed 6 inches... scattered power outages could develop
during the afternoon or evening... especially in southern New Hampshire.
Valley regions should see notably less snowfall due to melting with
slightly above freezing temperatures. Even so... slushy plowable
amounts are expected everywhere along and north of Route 2 in
northern Massachusetts into the Nashua... Manchester Keene region by
noon.
Confidence for 6 inches of snow and sleet in an 8 hour period is only
about 30 percent from the Springfield area to just south of Worcester
to Framingham... Woburn Danvers and Gloucester where a change to sleet
or rain should occur sooner... .possibly within 3 hours of onset of
the snow.
The starting time of the snow is still somewhat uncertain. If it
begins before dawn... rush hour travel will be affected as temperatures
quickly fall to freezing within one hour of the snow starting. If
the snow starts a little later than currently expected... lets say
after 9am... then there will be more pavement melting and not quite as
much impact on travel.
Precipitation should end as areas of light accumulating snowfall
during Thursday night.
A Winter Storm Watch is issued for the potential of accumulating
snow of 6 or more inches in a 12 hour period or 8 or more inches
in a 24 hour period. Anyone traveling in the next 24 to 36 hours
should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to modify travel
plans should winter weather develop.
