April 4, 2024 Storm

Things are about to get a whole lot messier in the New England.

Most reading this will see that the rain has started. It will continue through the evening and then the real action kicks in on Wednesday.

Northern Berkshire still has a Winter Storm Watch with the additional kicker of a High Wind Watch. Unfortunately, there has been no extension of the Winter Storm Watch to South County. Winds on Wednesday could hit 60 MPH in parts of northern Berkshire County.

Predicted snow totals came down last night, but as of mid-morning today they were back up with even the lowest elevation areas of the County expected to get a few inches of snow.

We are also starting to see the word "sleet" creep into the discussion with this storm. Sleet at the right time--namely the 5-8 AM window on Thursday--would increase chances for more districts to go with a snow day.

There's no real change to the snow forecast. High elevation towns will get 6+ inches. Towns by the Connecticut border will be in the 2-3" range. We should see 4-5 from Pittsfield north along the route 7 corridor. Just how deep into the valleys the cold air goes will determine if a few North County schools get snow days or if nearly every school in the county decides to call for a snow day on Thursday.

The key is going to be: when will the changeover to snow occur Wednesday night? We had hoped this map might provide some clarity, but...maybe? The good news is that snow and/or sleet is supposed to fall throughout the day on Thursday. So, it's likely going to be snow day or bust situation. Delayed openings will be off the menu.

More to come...

Winter Storm Watch for Northern Berkshire

Happy April Fool's day, all you flake followers.

Just a caveat before we break down this early spring storm: Spring storms can be very unpredictable. October and April/May storms tend to have high variance often because not enough cold air is firmly in place.

But, without said, let's jump in to this storm and most likely get our hopes up way too high for a snow day on Thursday.

First, moderate-to-big April storms are not that uncommon. In 1997, there was a legendary April Fools Day blizzard that crushed New England with 25" in Boston and areas in central Mass and New Hampshire hitting 30 inches. In 2021, the northeastern hill towns picked up half a foot on April 14th. In 1982, Springfield received 13 inches of snow. In 2016, parts of Western Mass picked up 4" of snow on April 4th. And in 2017 4-8" was predicted for April 1 but the storm was a flop.

This storm is going to be a long duration storm. It will start raining tomorrow (Tuesday), and it will not stop raining/sleeting/snowing until Friday.

Right now it's looking like rain Tuesday and Wednesday with snow mixing an then changing over to all snow Wednesday night. Snow will fall throughout the day on Thursday before tapering to snow showers on Friday.

NWS Albany has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Northern Berkshire that begins on Wednesday and ends Thursday night. The forecast is for the chance for 7+ inches of snow with some icing mixed in and high winds to boot. This sounds a little like our Saturday, March 23rd storm but with less ice. That day would have assuredly been a snow day had it fallen on a week day.

From the map above, it looks as if the eastern half of the county has a much higher chance for snow days. Any districts with high elevation towns (over 1000') could and perhaps should be enjoying a full day off on Thursday. 

Hopefully South County gets involved with at least a Winter Weather Advisory by tomorrow. 

Look for our next update around 1 PM on Tuesday.

Snow Day Possible For Thursday, April 4

We certainly don't want to jinx it, but one of our best chances for a snow day is about to happen this week.

A series of low pressure systems will impact our area Tuesday through Friday. The first one will bring mostly rain on Tuesday, but then a slow moving coastal low will creep up northeastward on Wednesday. Because the coastal storm will by pulling cold air down from the north, it should be cold enough for snow even in valley locations.

The American model projection.

Snow at this time of year typically only impacts higher elevation towns 1000' feet and above. But meteorologists are saying that even the valley areas will be cold enough for snow. The shift over from rain to snow should occur during the day on Wednesday and carry all the way through to the early pre-dawn hours of Friday morning.

The European. Yikes!

The European and American models are not quite in agreement. The Euro is showing a bomber of a storm with a 12+ for the Berkshires. The American is slightly less robust but showing 2-6 inches (south to north). 

We've been tricked before, but NWS Albany is saying that 3+ inches is likely for the region Wednesday into Thursday. And because most superintendents have yet to call in a snow day this winter, they may be more inclined to throw their students a proverbial bone.

Many more details to come over the next few days.