Forecast Update-Saturday, February 23

I do not see anything today that would warrant much of a change to the forecast I made yesterday…

Any precipitation we get tonight and tomorrow should remain light. In addition, temperatures are above freezing in all of the larger towns (lower elevations) ranging between 33 and 36 degrees and should hold fairly steady through the night and then rise a few degrees more degrees during the day tomorrow. Therefore, any snow that does fall will have a difficult time accumulating. Over the elevated terrain temperatures are a little colder, ranging between 29 and 33 degrees, with the 29 being recorded at 1900 feet in Peru. Most of the temperatures available from the elevated terrain are 31 or 32. As a result, there is a better chance of some accumulation over elevated terrain, predominantly at the higher elevations.

From late afternoon today til about midnight scattered light mixed precipitation is likely around the county. After midnight and through tomorrow any precipitation should change to all snow. A period of light snow may develop across the county after midnight into Sunday morning. There should be a pause in any steady light snow, with only some scattered snow showers possible, mid-morning til late afternoon Sunday. I actually think our best chance for accumulating snow from this coastal low will be late afternoon into evening on Sunday as some moisture “wrapping around” the departing surface low from off the ocean moves south out of Vermont.

Most likely total accumulations by the time the precipitation ends Sunday Night:

Lower elevations in the western portions of the county, including all of the large towns….no accumulation – 1″ in South County, a coating – 2″ in central and northern Berkshire.

Elevated terrain and hilltowns….. a coating to 2 or 3″, with the highest amounts in the higher elevations in central and northern Berkshire.

I think that there will be virtually no accumulation before midnight and only a coating to 1″ at most by Sunday morning with the best chance for accumulations (still only and inch or two at most) occurring late Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening.

I still believe that the lower ends of the ranges of these accumulation estimates are more likely than the higher ends…i.e. NOT MUCH!