The following forecast is provided by Joe Kravitz, the  instructor for the Introduction to Meteorology course, there is no student forecast today:

The forecast scenario has not changed much from yesterday. It still looks as if light snow/snow showers will develop during the morning on Sunday. It now looks like the snow will change to sleet (ice pellets) a little sooner, early to mid afternoon, and snow accumulations should be less than an inch in most locations before the changeover. In addition, temperatures should be near freezing so the roads should remain mostly wet. There will eventually be a changeover from sleet to freezing rain as the afternoon progresses. The warm front will essentially stall over our region, becoming a stationary front. Precipitation will likely become a little heavier during the evening, enhanced by the development of a weak coastal low pressure system along the front. This low will move quickly east and the precipitation will become lighter after midnight and virtually end by morning, except for some drizzle and sprinkles.

The big forecasting dilemma is how much freezing rain will fall in different parts of Berkshire County Sunday afternoon and night. Temperatures should remain steady overnight on Sunday, or even rise a degree or two. Temperatures will not fall overnight as the overcast serves as a “blanket”, preventing radiational cooling. Also, some of the warmer air aloft (warm front stalled over the area) may mix down to lower levels. Therefore, wherever it is above freezing late Sunday afternoon, there should not be any significant icing. Most of the lower elevations in central and south Berkshire, including Pittsfield, Great Barrington and Sheffield should fall into that category. Towns to the north (Adams, North Adams and Williamstown) may be a few degrees colder, though still close to freezing. Only minor icing, mostly on tree branches is likely to occur in those locations. The greatest concern for icing is in the hilltowns, particularly in central and northern Berkshire, where temperatures may hold a few degrees below freezing overnight. However, even in locations where freezing rain falls all night, only 0.25″ or so will fall. This amount could still bring down some tree branches but roads should be just slushy with temperatures still near freezing. This entire scenario will become MUCH clearer tomorrow as the situation develops.

Temperatures should rise above freezing everywhere on Monday setting the stage for a rainstorm Monday night and Tuesday, as the next, stronger surface low pressure system develops along the stationary front. It still appears that this low will track to our northwest, to over western NY Monday night and then redevelop right along the coast on Tuesday. This will bring more than enough warm air into the region for just rain to fall. In fact, temperatures may shoot into the 40s during the day on Tuesday. Rainfall totals will be substantial with this storm, on the order of 1.00″ to 2.00″. As the storm departs and cold air is pulled in behind the low, we may receive a “backlash” of a brief period of snow before the storm exits and precipitation ends Tuesday evening. Whether we get any “backlash” depends on whether the low and its associated precipitation is moving fast enough east to pull out before a changeover occurs. Any snowfall looks like it should be no more than an inch or two at this point.

Wednesday will be colder with some scattered lake effect snow showers and flurries. We then warm up again in advance of the next surface low and its associated cold front move through on Thursday night. Once again, it looks like this precipitation event will be rain. It should then turn colder by drier over the weekend.