Winter Weather Advisory for Thursday and Friday, January 19-20

Things are trending in the right direction for possible delays and even a few full snow days for Friday. The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Northern Berkshire, with the potential for 2" to 6" of snow.

Higher terrains in the northeast corner of the county are the more likely recipients of 6" of snow. The west side down to Pittsfield and Lee will probably see 2".

Don't forget this map is showing the snow potential for a 36-hour period.

The problem with this storm is it's really a two-parter. The first system will come in tomorrow and give us an inch or so of snow in the afternoon then transition to rain or freezing rain for the evening. Then there will be a lull. Eventually, the second system will amplify during the first half of the day on Friday. The Friday morning commute could be a messy one because the snow should be picking back up in intensity between 7 and 9 AM. This will be a tough call for Superintendents for two reasons: 1) the slightly late timing and 2) that our last snow day was mostly a bust. Superintendents don't want go for 0 for 2.

Speaking of Superintendents, another pressure they may be under is the spike in Covid cases recently. A day off Friday and then potentially another one on Monday (see the last post) could provide a nice long weekend to slow down the spread. This is a speculative and hopeful theory, and it's mostly a wishful projection.

Thanks to WNYT Channel 13 for the map. This looks about right.

So, in terms of the Confidence Meter, we're not super optimistic about widespread snow day decisions. The usual suspects up there in Elementary School Row (Clarksburg, Abbott, Miller) in the northwest corner are likely to have delays or snow days. Hoosac Valley, Mount Greylock, North Adams, McCann, BART are all candidates as well for delays and the rogue snow day call. Central Berkshire also has a shot at a delay. We think from Pittsfield on south the chances will be slimmer.

Maybe we'll luck out and get an over-performer. But right now we think most students in the county will have a partial or full day.