BOSTON — A cold front that stalled offshore after producing heavy rain in New England stayed close enough to be a worry. By Thursday, it became a reality that snow was likely in part of Massachusetts, at least from a storm forming on that front. Computer models continued to show the northward extent of snow increasing through Thursday. That night, my forecast of 4-6" was set, though I thought there would be less on the shoreline south of Boston, out to Cape Cod and the islands.
The snow totals looked to tail off quickly to the northwest.
That didn't exactly happen. My forecast was based on the thought that our recent warm temperatures and warm pattern would stop snow from accumulating during the first part of the storm. Temperatures ended up dropping faster. It only took a few degrees difference to make that snow stick. Also, it came down hard! At times, it was snowing at a clip of more than 2" per hour! That'll bring cold air from above down to the surface. It's dynamic cooling at its finest. Bottom line is there was more snow than expected Thursday night, but Shiri had adjusted Friday morning. That adjustment worked for much of the area. However, there was still areas that received up to a foot of snow! Winter always amazes.
So, what worked out?
Well, the timing was very good both in regard to the change from rain to snow.
The highest impact time was to be the early morning for the commute. That certainly was the case. Schools were shut down all over southern New England.
The threat of wet, heavy snow played out tragically.
The snow amounts weren't perfect, clearly. Keep in mind, we are talking about tenths of an inch of water; you multiply times 10 to get inches of snow. That ratio changes with the temperature in each storm.
However, focusing on the projected impacts, I feel we prepared you well for what to expect out the door Friday morning.
Cox Media Group
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