Hype-meter Reading is an 8 (out of 10) in Advance of Next Week's Storm

Fire up the hype machine as all of our weather insiders are talking about a moderate/heavy snowstorm for the Northeast that would lead to snow days on Wednesday for hundreds of thousands of youngsters.

This map is a forecast map for the middle of next week. That's a VERY attractive low pressure system off the coast of North Carolina. Thus, you can understand why meteorologists are buzzing with excitement already. Thanks to Ed Vallee, a meteorologist in Pennsylvania, for this image.

Consider the following as we break down why the hype-meter is high for this storm:

1. The Northeast is the center of the world.
2. Northeast meteorologists are bored.
3. Weather hype drives traffic, which drives ads, and ads still make money.

But here at GSD we are above the fray, which is why you can (usually) trust us to tell it like it is. There are a few people out there who play it close to the vest--we're looking at you, Bob Kovachik!--but most tele-meteorologists know that performance is nearly as important as content--hey there, Bernie Rayno!

But getting excited about a storm and hyping a storm are two different things.

So, what's on the weather docket for this week and next for the Berkshires? Here's what we have for you:

Wednesday (2/17): Possible snow showers, especially toward the evening hours. No accumulation.
Thursday: Seasonably cool (mid-20s) but dry.
Friday: Cold start but warming up to near 40. Chance of snow and sleet late on Friday. Little accumulation.
Saturday: Warm. Nearly 50. Rain showers.
Sunday: Almost as warm. Mid-40s. Still a few showers.
Monday: A cold front moves in with accompanying snow showers.
Tuesday: ??
Wednesday: ????

We'll see what develops. Enjoy whatever glimpses of the sun you get because they will be few and far between for at least the next week. We'll update about next week's storm as soon as we see a few more runs of the models.