Alberta Clipper On the Way (Winter Weather Advisory North County)

Despite the forecast for light snow this morning (Tuesday), very little fell and stuck to the ground. Fortunately, we do not have to wait long for more snow as an Alberta Clipper will move through late tonight and drop a few inches on the Berkshires.

A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for Northern Berkshire only at this point. The Advisory is calling for 2-5" with gusty winds as well. Most of the snow should fall before the Wednesday commute, but due to the unsettled air, lingering snow showers, squalls, and upslope snows are possible throughout the day, which is why the Advisory extends to 1 AM Thursday.

NWS Albany

With the the bulk of the snow slated to fall between 10 PM and 4 AM, we would imagine most road crews will be able to get on top of their plowing and keep roads safe for school buses. But school districts north and east of Pittsfield will definitely have an elevated chance for a delay.

The GSD staff will be surprised if no schools have delays tomorrow. Equally surprising would be any full snow days called. So, depending on whether your are north or south, or are in a high elevation town or in the valley, that will determine your chances of a delay for Wednesday.

We will post early in the AM if any districts shorten the school day.

Early Week Snow (Jan. 27-31)

On one hand it's hard to believe this is the last week of January, but January also feels like it has been going on forever. How can that be? (The staff would say that's further proof of their first-rate intelligence.)

But let's talk snow. We do not have a lot in the forecast but we do have some and it bears watching as the timing could work to our benefit and generate a few delays.

First up is a chance for snow during the Tuesday morning commute. While we will be lucky to see an inch from this minor system, the timing is excellent. Unfortunately, most of the snow will be generated by squalls and squalls are notoriously difficult to predict (both timing and location). As a result, we have low confidence that we'll see delays on Tuesday but it's possible a school or two will see one.

Not a lot to work with here for the Tuesday AM commute (NWS Albany).

There's a better chance for delays on Wednesday morning. An Alberta clipper will move through our area Tuesday night. This clipper will produce more snow (1-3 inches), so the chances are higher for delays, but still it will be very light and road crews should be able to stay on top of it. But we like the timing and think a smattering of districts will consider delaying the start on Wednesday.

As for the long-range forecast, the models are showing possible heavier snowfalls for the next two Mondays--February 3 and February 10. The Euro and North American are not quite in agreement on these two storms, but it's possible we are seeing a "wave of three" developing. The wave of three is a series of three similar coastal storms over a three-week period. (A memorable wave of three storms occurred in Boston in February of 2015 which led to a record seasonal snowfall total that year.) In no way are expecting record-breaking snow over the next few weeks, but we could be seeing a pattern for more and bigger storms. February is, after all, our historically snowiest month.

Freeze Delays for Wednesday, Jan. 22 (Updated)

Updated at 8:15 AM Wednesday

NWS Albany

Several school districts have decided to delay the start of school or cancel due to the forecast for temperatures well below zero and wind chill values around -25 degrees. Here is the current list of delays and cancellations.

TWO-HOUR DELAY:

Berkshire Arts and Technology

Emma Miller

Gabriel Abbott

Hancock

Hoosac Valley

Lenox

Mount Greylock

North Adams

Pittsfield

Richmond

FREEZE DAY:

Central Berkshire

Farmington River