If you believe Punxsutawney Phil, then we’re looking at another six weeks of winter. Is that real winter or the tame winter that we have seen so far? In the near-term, it will be chilly into the weekend. Highs will be in the low to mid 30s both Saturday and Sunday with a blend of sun and clouds. Lows will be in the teens to low 20s Friday through Sunday morning.
Clouds thicken on Sunday as the temperature reaches the upper 30s. A few flurries are possible Sunday afternoon and night, but widespread snow is not expected, and there will be no accumulation. Monday looks quiet and seasonably mild, with highs near 40.
The forecast gets tricky on Tuesday as a storm system slowly moves out of the Midwest. A piece of energy may shoot to our south on Tuesday, bringing snow to sleet to rain. A minor snow accumulation is possible before mixed precipitation. It’s too soon to talk about the timing of the precipitation, so we’ll leave it at Tuesday.
A change to rain with much warmer conditions is likely on Wednesday. it may reach the 50s with a strong southerly wind, and rain likely through the day. Cold weather returns to New England late next workweek. Right now it looks dry. The long-range pattern shows some promise for another storm next weekend or early the following week.
As for what the Groundhog had to say….the European weeklies show a relatively warm stretch continuing for the next six weeks. It also looks drier than normal, but that’s just one run from the computer model. It has been consistent with the warmth, but flip-flopping run to run on the precipitation.
