By James M. Arnold, Weather Specialist
Well, it looks like we have dodged a major bullet! The effects our area will feel from the weekend storm will likely be minimal at most, with most areas hardly getting any plowable snow at all. The storm looks to be going out to sea well to our south, and areas north of the Mass Pike may not see any snow at all. Areas south of the Mass Pike will see minor accumulations gradually increasing toward the Connecticut and Rhode Island coast, where 3 or 4 inches may fall. Coastal winds will still be strong, and possibly result in some beach erosion, but not too much more than that.
This will be a history making storm in the mid- Atlantic region, with up to 3 feet of snow and very strong winds blowing it around, likely gusting to 75 mph at times. Should this storm turn more to the north, we would be looking at greater snow and wind impacts than those outlined above. I don’t think this will happen, but until it is safely out to sea, this storm still needs to be carefully watched.
James M. Arnold is a Weather Specialist working with Shrewsbury Emergency Management Agency; town of Princeton; Worcester Emergency Communications and Emergency Management Agency; Southborough Emergency Management Agency; town of Grafton and Wachusett Mountain Ski Area
