Give No Quarter

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Big slop-fest out there this afternoon/evening. After 6-12 inches of snow in Greater Boston and Worcester - and lesser amounts south of the Pike, it's time to clean up and move on...again.

I think we've passed the point of tolerance with these ceaseless storms. Gone are the days when viewers would flood our inboxes with pretty pictures of their pets and kids frolicing in the snow. Constant cleanup has made us snippy and short - even a few plow guys have hoisted the white flag. The holidays are long past, the winter is stale, and the people just want spring...

...and accountability.  Instead of pictures, I get questions in my inbox. "Why are we getting so much snow? Why did it turn on a dime? And when will it stop?"

Those are fair questions. But with the limits of the long range (10-14 day) forecasts, I'm not ready to answer the last question. We may sail out of this in April, but so far the first week of the month isn't looking much different from the first week in March. The ultimate question is why.

The jetstream has taken on an odd path.

The black lines represent the jetstream (wind moving from west to east). The colored areas represent the departure from the normal position of the jetstream. The bullseye is apparent: right over Nunavut (Northern Canada). High pressure has dominated this area since early February, diverting the cold and the jetstream over the Lower 48.

So there you have it. The culprit, the scapegoat, the reason for over 100" of snow in Worcester, and the reason I can't talk about 70s and 80s like last March. But the bigger question is, why does it last so long.

Ocean/atmosphere interaction is still a young branch of the science of meteorology. There are many reasons for stalled weather patterns, but I believe the biggest is the lack of sea ice from climate change. An open ocean leaves a lot of heat in the poles. This fosters high pressure (or blocks in the jetstream), and with very little movement to weather patterns at the top and bottom of the globe, we get pinned down in these long periods of heavy precipitation/drought and hot or cold.

An undeniable link in the cog has been established. And we're left to wait it out.

Pete 

Can Only Go Up From Here

Posted by Chris Lambert

Rain and drizzle continues tonight as temperatures drop into the mid 30s to 40 degrees.  Any burst of heavier precip drags down colder air, and elevations above 1000 feet in northern Worcester County  or southwester NH see wet snow mixing in overnight.  No shovels or plows needed for us, but it is a sure sign how cold the atmosphere is for late May.  As of this writing, Mt. Mansfield in VT has picked up 7.5" of snow and Whiteface Mtn. in NY has picked up 18"!

This Is How It Starts? Really?

Posted by Chris Lambert

So it's the unofficial start of summer this weekend and officially, the average high this time of year hits 70 degrees.  So you'd think we have a good shot at BBQ weather right?  Not much of a chance today with highs reaching near 50 this morning, only to fall back into the low to mid 40s this afternoon as a cold rain settles in. 

Take the Good, Take the Bad

Posted by Pete Bouchard

Rain, rain, rain...

...but for many today was a day of hurry up and wait. Sure there were showers, but not every minute was washed out. With the events unfolding tonight, that's about to change.

How To Spin This

Posted by Jeremy Reiner

So....what would you like to hear first? The good news? Bad news? Let's start with the good news....