Major Noreaster Coming!!

[marchowes]

Awwwwww man, this seriously threatens my Vose Spur trip. Breaking a trail for 6.5 miles sounds very tiresome!

 

[bubba]

Good stuff

At the risk of irritating my fellow travelers, may I offer two thoughts for this weekend, related to the massive amounts of new snow expected?

I don't think this kind of post is ever irritating. It may just have saved someone a lot of frustration and danger.

 

[carole]

Does this mean I can break out the 36" woodies? I don't think I even used them last year. Can't wait!!

 

[grouseking]

Does this mean I can break out the 36" woodies? I don't think I even used them last year. Can't wait!!

You might be able to. I haven't been able to use my new snowshoes yet but they will be used this weekend.

I thought about waiting to post as I'm sure this will change a little bit in a couple hours when new computer models come in....

Looks like all snow for the north country, pretty much no chance of sleet mixing in, except maybe at the highest elevations briefly. Snow will amount to at least 1-2 feet + with normal orographically favored areas getting more, possibly MUCH more. The locals that are downwind of the White Mtns or any mountain will probably get shadowed for the first part of the storm (Lyndon, St Johnsbury, Littleton, Lancaster for example) so their totals might be on the lower end, but they will pick up a lot of snow on the second half of it so there is a chance they will catch up.

Further south in NH, out of the WHites, the chance for sleet increases but still, from a line of Lebanon over to the Lakes region and to about or just north of Concord, it SHOULD stay mostly snow. Accumulations will vary depending on if places get sleet, or get in a heavy snow band, or if they get dry slotted ( a snow lovers worst enemy). Still, a general 1-2 feet is a good range depending on all of those factors, with slightly more or slightly less in some areas. The Monadnocks should stay mostly snow with 12-18 inches there...maybe a mix to sleet for a time.

Further south it becomes really difficult in SE NH. Looks like a prolonged period of sleet and possibly freezing rain could get in the mix after 6-12 inches of snow falls in a short period of time. There could be a lot of sleet accumulation. At the coast, it could even switch to plain rain for a time. The toughest forecast is when the storm pulls away, it could bring backlash snows to all of New England and that is when places like southern NH and northern MA could get some extra accumulation, possibly significant.

DOn't really have time to talk about MA and southern New Eng, but long story short, heavy snow sleet north and west of boston, and snow to rain back to snow boston south. Prob 6-12 in Metro west, 2-5 in Boston, and a couple inches of slop South Shore, Cape and Islands, possible another 1-3 at the tail end.....better luck next time for them.

Now that I wrote all of this, it will change!!! Bu tpretty much no matter where you live, you'll be shoveling, and probably doing something outdoorsy this weekend!! I know I will.

 

[Mattl]

So things are all coming together as planned! It is now snowing here and the heavy stuff is coming. Current forecast is good and I would just say the low is a little further east and perfect for Northern New England. So I hope people be careful hiking and driving tomorrow, it will be bad. Anyone planning any good hiking or skiing this weekend now? I think Phil and I might do North Moose. -Mattl

 

[Mike P.]

No Snow at 1:30 Am in Colchester CT

 

[bubba]

Crappy small crystal-kinda snow... not nearly what they predicted. We've rec'd about a few inches and it blows around a bit. Not bad winds -- just enough to put a bite in it.

 

[MikeM]

Blizzard Warning

Areas of vermont and New York now under a Blizzard Warning

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING ACROSS THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS...THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY OF
NEW YORK AND VERMONT...AND ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VERMONT...
WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THURSDAY. THE BLIZZARD WARNING
REPLACES THE HEAVY SNOW WARNING PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT.

 

[TDawg]

7:10 AM and 2-3 inches in Ashland, NH, coming down heavily.

 

[Jay H]

As usual, so much for the nor'easter, we get less than an inch of snow and a lot of freezing rain/sleet over here in northern NJ.... Supposed to change to all rain later on as it warms up and then back to snow....

Jay

 

[MichaelJ]

3 inches of snow on the ground at 7am this morning here in Vermont, and more coming. Visibility is deteriorating, we're under a blizzard warning, and the mountain passes are expected to be badly drifted.

 

[Mad Townie]

Well, I guess only skiers and winter hikers would react this way, but . . .

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's go out and play!

 

[MadRiver]

Well, I guess only skiers and winter hikers would react this way, but . . .

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's go out and play!

Agree! Skiing or snowshoeing, which to choose. So many options, not enough time.

 

[sardog1]

Light snow, about 2-3" so far, and the wind is increasing here in SE NH as of 9:00 a.m. You Empire State folks should be seeing some real action in the next few hours, with the rest of us waiting in breathless anticipation (or cursing, depending on your proclivities.) The NWS CONUS radar composite loop is a nifty way to track the beast, if you have the bandwidth, etc.

 

[cbcbd]

Why this week, why?!!

Should've happened on another week that I could play hooky

 

[grouseking]

This storm is verifying quite well. The biggest wildcard is the mixing factor that occurs across southern New England. There is a good chance that places end of with a lot of sleet and freezing rain with temps only around 15 degrees. But this storm is really getting its act together so there is always the possibility that the upper level warm air might not happen and those totals could drastically increase, especially around southern NH. Its a tough forecast there, but pretty easy further north!! Yay for blizzard warnings, and yay for the potential of 2 or more feet of snow!

grouseking

 

[blacknblue]

I'd say about 6-7 inches already in my driveway in east-central Vermont, and coming down HARD. Route 4 is snow-packed and plows can't seem to keep up.

 

[dug]

There has already been occasional mixing with freezing rain in Southern NH. Overall, mostly snow.

 

[jbrown]

Well, we've got about 12" since last night here in Syracuse, NY, and are expecting another 10-12 today. Looks like I'm snowshoeing to the quickiemart to get snausages for the dog!

The storm is technically not a Nor'easter as I understand it, but the gloom-and-doom weathermen (especially one of our local-yokels) love to call any significant winter storm a "nor'easter." Makes for higher ratings...

 

[grouseking]

Well, we've got about 12" since last night here in Syracuse, NY, and are expecting another 10-12 today. Looks like I'm snowshoeing to the quickiemart to get snausages for the dog!

The storm is technically not a Nor'easter as I understand it, but the gloom-and-doom weathermen (especially one of our local-yokels) love to call any significant winter storm a "nor'easter." Makes for higher ratings...

This is not only a nor'easter, but will turn into an all out blizzard. A nor'easter is a storm that usually develops off the Virginia/North Carolina coast and moves northeast. On the cold side of the storm winds are from the northeast. Thats pretty much where the term comes from. Most winds with the storm right now are out of either the north, or northeast.

I can't remember all the blizzard criteria, but I think it goes somethin like this.....Temps below 20 degrees, heavy snow, less than 1/4 mile visibility and winds of 35 mph for 3 hours or more. So not only is this a classic nor'easter, but it will turn into a classic blizzard especially across New England. BTW, we have close to 10 inches in Lebanon as of noon.

LET IT SNOW