Tracking a Potential Winter Storm: What to Watch This Weekend
After a relatively quiet stretch, the weather patterns are shifting, and all eyes are on a developing system that could bring a meaningful layer of white to our region this Sunday.
When forecasting winter storms, we look closely at the jet stream—the high-altitude "river of air" that guides storm systems. For a few days, weather models were uncertain about how the atmosphere would react to a departing system from earlier in the week.
The latest data has cleared up that picture. We are seeing a "kink" in the jet stream that is allowing a favorable jet streak to develop right over our region. This change is significant because it pulls the surface low-pressure system closer to the coast—a classic setup for accumulating snow in the Northeast.
This won't be a one-day event; rather, it looks like a two-part arrival:
The Introduction (Saturday): As a cold front moves in, expect a wave of light snow. While this isn't the "main event," it will mark the beginning of a colder, more wintry pattern.
The Main Event (Sunday): Confidence is increasing for moderate accumulating snowfall on Sunday. The current data shows the heaviest impact in the regions highlighted in the maps below, though we are watching for the storm to track even further west, which could bring higher totals further inland.
While "exact amounts" are always the hardest part of a forecast to pin down until we are within 24 hours, the trends are very encouraging for those hoping for a snowy Sunday. The atmospheric ingredients are finally aligning in a way that favors a more impactful event rather than a simple "near miss."
Stay tuned. No impact maps from me until tomorrow. If trends hold I will have more detail
No comments:
Post a Comment