Strong Coastal Storm To Bring More Accumulating Snowfall To Southern New England Along With Blizzard Conditions to Eastern Southern New England

Days after a rather intense coastal storm dumped major snowfall accumulations across a large chunk of southern New England another system is set to impact the region Saturday night and bring another round of snowfall accumulations and unlike this past storm, we will be dealing with an all snow event.

Our main area is focus is this piece of energy which is digging into the southeast.  As this energy continues to dig into the southeast, the associated trough will continue to dig and this will lead to further intensification of the energy.  The energy will then work off the Carolina coast, and while doing so, it will draw in moisture from the Atlantic.  The system will then continue working northeast, off the US coast where the system is expected to undergo rapid cyclogenesis (strengthening).  The system is expected to track far enough off the coast to support a cold enough thermal profile for all snow but track close enough to allow for heavy precipitation to wrap around into southern New England:

Over the past day or so, computer forecast guidance has really gone...wild with this system just off the coast.  In fact, we are looking at yet another major (widespread 8-12'') to significant (12''+) snowstorm across the region with the highest snowfall totals perhaps confined to eastern MA, including the Cape.

The westward extent of the highest snowfall totals is all going to depend on the exact track.  Right now there is some disagreement as to the exact track of the storm and that does make for some shaky confidence with regards to how far west the heaviest snow will track.

Besides a several hour period of moderate to heavy snowfall winds will also be of concern, especially across eastern MA where blizzard conditions are likely as winds will be sustained 25-35 mph at times with gusts perhaps as high as 60 mph.  The exact track of the storm will also determine how far west we see these strong winds occur...something else to keep in mind.

Computer forecast models also briefly work in a pocket of instability in the mid-levels of the atmosphere.  This instability pocket riding overhead, coupled with very intense lift from the system could lead to some embedded pockets of convection leading to thundersnow.

Snow is expected to break out across western portions of southern New England as early as 3-4 PM and this could actually happen as early as 2 PM.  Once the snow begins, it will rapidly increase in intensity and the height of the heaviest snowfall is expected to occur between about 5 PM and 1 AM (lasting until 3-4 PM for eastern sections of southern New England).

Below is what to currently expect as far as snowfall totals are concerned: