Light Snow for Christmas Eve

Winter weather nerds have particularly enjoyed the last three days. 

Around these parts, the Friday/Saturday snow overdelivered and dropped almost 4 inches of light fluffy snow at GSD Headquarters in Williamstown. We were only expected to get 1-2", so that was fun.

And then Monday morning, we woke up to bitterly cold air: -9℉ at 6 AM. Again, we did not expect to see the temp drop so low this morning. With no wind, no clouds, and snow on the ground, radiational cooling conditions allowed us to wake up to what might end up being the coldest air of the season.

Temps will moderate today and move closer to 20℉ by this afternoon in front of our next chance for snow. Another clipper will be passing through late tonight and into Tuesday morning. For those who have to go to work on Christmas Eve, the morning commute could be slow.

Euro forecast for Christmas Eve snow.

We are only expected to get 1-2" from this clipper, but it will be enough to ensure a white Christmas.

As for the rest of the week, it will be dry and getting gradually warmer. By Saturday we'll see temps in the 40s for daytime highs.

And in terms of the long-range snowstorm outlook, our two favorites models--the Euro and the North American--are not giving us much to work with. Both are showing a warm-up for next week. The Euro shows a chance for light snow on Jan. 2, and the North American is indicating a little light snow for Jan. 6. Things can and do often change, but right now no big storms are in the offing. 

Have a wonderful holiday! 

 

Snow Today (Friday, Dec. 20) and White Christmas Outlook

The GSD Staff holiday party ran later than expected last evening, so this post is a tad tardy.

We wish it were going to be more, but a weak Alberta Clipper is moving through our area right now and giving us a fresh coat of snow. It will only amount to an inch, if we're lucky.

Behind the snow are the coldest temps of the season. Some areas will see the mercury dip below zero Saturday night and Sunday night. The high temp on Sunday will be a frigid 14 degrees. Bundle up!

NWS Albany

There is a chance for more snow Monday night into Tuesday. We could see another inch or two. While it will not be enough to go sledding, the cold air in place should give us a white Christmas this year. It might be patchy in spots, but we should have a snow base of 1-2" by Wednesday.

Temps gradually rise back up into the 30s and 40s throughout the first week of vacation.

With school on break for two weeks, we'll be on break as well unless we see snow storms start to develop on the horizon. Have great holiday!

Snow Forecast for December 16-20

With the coldest air of the season in place--10° at GSD headquarters in Williamstown--winter is certainly here, and it's time to look ahead at the week ahead. Most school districts go on a two week vacation on Friday with the Christmas and New Year's falling on a Wednesday so this is our last chance for weather to impact school days for 2024.

We currently have two chances for delays and snow days. The first will be on Monday. A fairly weak low pressure system will move in from the west Sunday afternoon into Monday. It will start as snow but then change to rain in the late morning hours.

Both models are showing 1-2" of snow for the Berkshires. If the timing is right, we could see a few delays for districts Monday morning.

NWS Albany. Not much to write home about here.

The next chance for snow will again be on the front and back ends of a low pressure system that will impact our area mostly on Wednesday but into Thursday. The models are inconsistent but another shot of 1-3" is possible, especially in higher terrain.

It will not rain nearly as much as it did this past week, but the upcoming pattern is strikingly similar to last week.

Unfortunately, our confidence is low for delays on Monday or Thursday, but we are holding out hope that enough cold air will be in place to give some students shortened days.

Winter Weather Advisory for Northern Berkshire -- Tuesday/Wednesday, December 9-10

While the week ahead will be remembered for its rain--close to 2 inches will have fallen by Thursday morning--we do have wintry precipitation to pay attention to for Tuesday morning.

NWS Albany issued a Winter Weather Advisory that begins at 1 PM today. The afternoon commute could be somewhat slick as a few cold air pockets could create hazardous driving conditions due to sleet. The biggest concern for ice is in higher elevation towns in northern Berkshire County.

NWS Albany

It looks like the rain (and any associated sleet and freezing rain) will clear out by daybreak tomorrow. There's a very small chance for freezing drizzle for the Tuesday AM commute, but that scenario seems unlikely.

After the big rain on Wednesday, cold air does move in. Again, we might see snow on the back end of the storm. If the timing is right, delays are possible for Thursday morning. 

Overall, chances are quite high that all students in Berkshire County will have a full week of school with no interruptions. 

Ice, Rain, Snow--We Got It All This Week (December 9-13)

December has started off with a bang, with our first full snow day in December since 2022. Two years ago, we had a mid-December nor'easter that cancelled school for everyone.

NWS Albany

We have an interesting weather week coming up, but unfortunately warmer air will be in place so we are not expecting much snow this week.

After tonight's Alberta Clipper moves through--a possible 2-3" in Berkshire County late Saturday night into Sunday--two possibilities for delays are worth noting. 

First, we need to have our eyes and ears open for mixed precipitation and icing for Monday morning. While it's not a big event, the timing is very good and icy roads are a possibility. You'll see low numbers on the Confidence Meter, but it's a weather situation worth noting.

The middle of the week looks terrible. Local meteorologists are expecting 1-2 inches of rain Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. That will not be good for our early season snow base. 

On the backside of the midweek storm, we'll see cold air swoop in, and as the storm starts to exit, we could see frozen precipitation. Once again, we'll look at delay scenarios for Thursday.

Then, a week from now, we may have more unsettled weather at the start of the week, December 16-20. But that's too far out to get excited about.

In general, confidence is low for delays this week, but as always in the GSD Home Office, hope springs eternal. 

Delays and Cancellations: Thursday, December 5

The following schools have shortened or cancelled school for the day:

SNOW DAY:

Berkshire Arts and Technology 

Berkshire Community College (Morning/Day classes cancelled; TBD on Night classes)
Central Berkshire

Clarksburg

Emma Miller
Gabriel Abbott

Hillcrest Academy

McCann

Mount Greylock
North Adams

Pine Cobble

Pittsfield
Southwest Vermont SU
Stamford, VT

TWO-HOUR DELAY:

Berlin, NY

Berkshire Country Day

Berkshire Hills

Berkshire Montessori

Berkshire Waldorf

Farmington River
Hancock

Hoosick Falls, NY
Lee

Lenox
MCLA (open at 11 AM)

New Lebanon, NY

Richmond Consolidated

Southern Berkshire

Alberta Clipper On Schedule (Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 4-5) [Updated 8 PM]

A short update as the snow continues to fall throughout Berkshire County. One factor we did not work into the equation is the wind. A Wind Advisory will go into effect tomorrow at 7 AM. Blowing and drifting snow will certainly challenge road crews in their attempts to make the streets passable. Already we're seeing gusty winds, which will only make driving conditions worse. We'll bump the Confidence Meter another 5 points in our favor due to the winds.

Below are our thoughts from earlier in the day.

Snowy Commutes--Wednesday PM and Thursday AM

It would appear that many of us in Berkshire County will need snow boots on Thursday morning as they make their way out into the world.

All meteorological indicators suggest snow will fall in all of Berkshire County starting Wednesday evening and lasting well into the morning on Thursday. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued, calling for 2-5 inches of snow starting at 8 PM tomorrow and ending at 10 AM on Thursday.

NWS Albany

As we reminded folks in our last post, the source of the snow is an Alberta Clipper. While clippers usually generate light snow, this one seems to be more robust and could be an above-average performer. At least NWS Albany thinks so, as they have skewed their snow totals higher in the last 24 hours.

The models are fairly consistent right now. Both the Euro and North American are showing 3-4 inches for almost the entire county. The North American shows a little more snow for north county, with 4-6 for Lanesborough, Cheshire, Savoy and points north.

The North American (GFS) model.

We're definitely encouraged by the small tick up in volume and longer duration of the snow. We now have a better chance of seeing moderate snow in the pivotal 5-7 AM window when Superintendents and chiefs of road crews convene to make their decisions.

As a result of the better forecast, we'll bump delay and snow day chances on the Confidence Meter slightly. Schools in North County now have a better chance for a delay than none at all.

Delays In Play For Thursday, December 5

It's back to work and school for most of our readership, and fortunately the GSD staff is also back to work as well. We are currently tracking a snow situation for Wednesday night into Thursday morning that could bring the first delays of the season.

An Alberta clipper will move into our area Wednesday night. It appears that there may be enough energy with the storm to bring 2-4 inches to the area (with slightly higher amounts in the mountainous northeast corner of the county). [A reminder that Alberta Clippers are generally light or moderate snow producers. Rarely do they give us 6" or more. So there's little chance the forecast will go higher than 2-4" for this storm.]

The timing is pretty good but not ideal. Snow will fall throughout the night on Wednesday but start to taper in the morning. The big question is: will it be snowing hard enough at daybreak to cause Superintendents to delay for two hours? We would not mind seeing the storm slow down by a few hours to ensure snow during the morning commute.

NWS Albany

The good news is that there will be plenty of cold air in place. The bad news is that the snow will be light and dry, thus easier to clear.

For now we'll say 50/50 chance for delays above Pittsfield. Pittsfield schools and those to the south will have a less inspiring 25% chance.

More to follow!