Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Weekend Storm In the Process of Fizzling

Forecasters again are calling for a weekend storm to rip through New England, but the snow-making potential of this one is much less certain because of the warm air that will be dominating our region.

You may have noticed this morning when you awoke that it was a balmy 20 degrees in most locations in the Berkshires, opposed to the near 0 temps we saw the last few days. Twenty degrees at dawn usually means mid-30s by the afternoon, and that is the case for the next few days.

Temps will max out at 40 degrees on Friday before the storm moves in from the middle of the country. Right now models are still holding onto hope for the Berkshires for 3-7 inches of snow, but we at GSD do not like the way the models are trending. A few days ago the models were showing 6-8 inches for most of us, if not more. For what it's worth, the Euro gives us the best chance for snow, especially in higher elevation towns in the Berkshires, while the US model shows mostly rain.

We're still holding out some hope for snow, but past experience would indicate that this storm has a much better chance of being a bust than a bonanza. The key will be the air temperature at the surface (opposed to aloft), and right now the forecast is for a few degrees above freezing for most of us when the precipitation moves in on Saturday.

As for timing, the precipitation should begin a little before midday on Saturday and continue through Sunday evening. Skiers should be able to get in a few runs or a few kilometers on Saturday morning before things turn to as slushy mush in the afternoon.

We'll alert you to any changes to the forecast.

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