Summary: Snowfall totals from across Berkshire County, as reported to the National Weather Service office in Albany: Alford – 5.0″; Lanesborough – 5.5″; Williamstown – 6.3″; Lenox Dale – 7.9″; Pittsfield – 8.0″; Sheffield – 8.0″; North Otis – 10.0″; Savoy – 11.0″; and an unofficial report from Peru of over 12.0″.

We are receiving a welcome, albeit brief, visit from spring this weekend into early next week, but winter will make an abrupt return for the middle and latter parts of the week. As a mild ridge (northward lifting) in the jet stream wave pattern propagates slowly eastward, surface high pressure (associated with descent and, thus, drying in the atmosphere) along its eastern edge will crest over the Northeast Saturday night and Sunday. This is giving us a beautiful, sunny day with unseasonably mild temperatures today. It will remain fairly clear, with a good amount of sunshine and mild temperatures through Sunday. As the ridge crests over the Northeast on Monday, the surface high pressure along its leading edge will move off the coast and a bit more cloudiness, but even milder air will move in on a warm, moist southerly return flow around the surface high (clockwise circulation around high pressure). It looks like high temperatures should reach into the 50s on both Sunday and Monday.

As the jet stream wave pattern continues its slow propagation eastward, a cold trough (southward dip) in the jet stream will approach the region, with a strong cold front at the leading edge of the trough pushing through on Tuesday with rain, as the advancing heavy, cold air lifts the lighter warm, moist air. This front will usher winter back into the region with strong northwesterly winds and much colder temperatures for Wednesday through Friday. There may be some scattered lake-effect snow showers and flurries for a day or two after the cold front passes but I do not see any threats for any additional accumulating snow for Berkshire County.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, calm and cold.

As surface high pressure crests over us, we will have ideal radiational cooling conditions with clear skies, calm winds and a snow cover (or what’s left of it) and, despite the mild day, temperatures will drop quite a bit overnight. Likely overnight low temperatures near 20 in most locations with mid to upper teens in the hollows and depressions, particularly over the elevated terrain.

Winds calm.

Sunday

It will average out mostly sunny (5-25% cloud cover) but there will be more clouds than Saturday (not difficult to accomplish since there was not a single cloud in the sky today). Most of the clouds will be of the thin, high to mid-level variety and will, generally, only dim the sun from time to time.

It will be unseasonably mild, once again, with high temperatures in the low 50s in Pittsfield, low to mid 50s in Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, mid 50s in Great Barrington and Sheffield, and near 50 over the elevated terrain and hilltowns.

Light southeasterly winds in the morning, becoming south-southeasterly winds at 5-10 mph during the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy.

It will be seasonably cold, but not quite as cold as Saturday night with a little more cloud cover and some light south-southeasterly winds. Low temperatures in the low to mid 20s in most locations.

Light south-southeasterly winds.

Monday

Variable amounts of clouds, although I think there will still be more sun than clouds.

Unseasonably mild with high temperatures in the mid 50s in Pittsfield, mid to upper 50s in Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, upper 50s in Great Barrington and Sheffield, and low 50s over the elevated terrain and hilltowns.

Southerly winds at 10-15 mph.

Monday Night and Tuesday

Increasing clouds and mild Monday night with temperatures remaining in the 40s. There will likely be rain for a good part of the day Tuesday, mostly late morning through the afternoon. It will remain mild, with temperatures rising to near 50, until the cold front passes sometime in the late afternoon or early evening.