Berkshire County Forecast-Tuesday, Feb. 25

Note: Clicking on underlined red text provides links to various weather maps.

SummaryA broad and deep trough in the jet stream wave pattern has set up over central and eastern North America. This pattern has been recurring since early January which explains the prolonged period of cold weather we have endured since then. Since we are lying to the north of the jet stream, the cold air is sitting over us and will persist for the foreseeable future as this standing wave pattern enables the trough to form and reform over the same area until, the way it looks now, well into next week. The only “break” we will have from this unseasonably cold weather will be late in the weekend into early next week but that “break” may take the form of a significant snowstorm.

This unseasonably cold period over the next several days will be punctuated by repeated bouts of snow flurries and snow showers as weak disturbances in the jet stream rotate around the base of the broad trough and over the northeastern U.S.. Lake effect bands of snow showers and squalls will likely follow after the disturbances pass and the strong winds shift around to west-northwesterly. This should occur during the day on both Wednesday and Thursday. An arctic cold front will accompany the disturbance on Thursday so snow squall activity is the most likely on Thursday afternoon. The core of the cold air in the trough will slide in behind this front so that Friday will likely be the coldest day of the week, with temperatures struggling to get out of the single digits and into the teens despite a fair amount of sunshine.

So….expect temperatures to be down in the single digits overnight and teens during the day for the remainder of the week. It will feel even colder, with a persistently strong westerly wind.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy and cold. Breezy this evening with lightening winds after midnight.

Low temperatures in the mid to upper single digits, with some low single digits over the elevated terrain.

Westerly winds at 10-15 mph diminishing later in the evening and becoming light southwesterly after midnight.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, windy and cold with snow showers and flurries likely. Shower activity will be more prevalent during the morning but will likely persist in a lake effect band that will set up somewhere over the county during the afternoon. Probability of precipitation 70%. A dusting of snow is likely in many locations, with 1/2″-1″ possible in a few locations where snow showers persist.

High temperatures in the mid teens in Pittsfield; mid to upper teens in Lee, Stockbridge, Adams, North Adams and Williamstown; upper teens in Great Barrington and Sheffield and; low teens over the elevated terrain. Wind chill temperatures ranging from the single digits below zero to single digits above zero.

West-northwesterly winds at 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

Wednesday Night

Cold, with partly cloudy skies in the evening, becoming mostly cloudy after midnight.

Low temperatures in the low to mid single digits.

West-northwesterly winds at 5-10 mph in the evening, becoming light after midnight and shifting to southerly by morning.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, windy and cold with snow showers likely. Snow squalls likely during the afternoon. Probability of precipitation 70%. Likely accumulations between 1/2″-2″.

High temperatures in the mid to upper teens in Pittsfield, Lee, Stockbridge, Adams, North Adams and Williamstown; upper teens in Great Barrington and Sheffield and; low to mid teens over the elevated terrain. Wind chill temperatures ranging from the single digits below zero to single digits above zero.

Southerly winds at 10-20 mph during the morning, shifting to west northwesterly in the afternoon.