HARDWICK – There wasn’t much in terms of measurable precipitation in the last week, but that didn’t stop the clouds from persisting to create overcast skies for most of the forecast period. We ended up with a combination of rain and snow showers, with the snow amounting to just under an inch as temperatures hovered on either side of freezing. Cloud cover finally relented Saturday afternoon and some areas saw a peek of sunshine that blossomed into wall-to-wall blue skies with hardly a cloud visible as we entered Sunday and Monday. The effect was slightly cooler temperatures as heat trapped at the surface was given the opportunity to dissipate at night under the influence of high pressure, which remains in control of our weather as the finishing touches are being put on this forecast. Those enjoying the outdoors can still take advantage of the 10 to 15 inches of snow that exists at the mid-elevations.
High pressure will be close enough to our area to maintain the sunshine today and tomorrow, with the bonus of a light south to southwest flow driving temperatures up slightly. A frontal system approaches late on Friday and we can say so-long to the sunshine as overcast conditions return, along with light precipitation, which will fall mostly as rain showers due to the system’s associated warm front. A brief mix may occur Friday night. This will also bring high temperatures in the mid to upper 40s, some 20 degrees above normal. Record highs for this period are in the low-to-mid 50s, so it looks like we’ll avoid setting new extremes. Temperatures will struggle to drop below freezing overnight as showers persist into Saturday, although a brief mix with snow cannot be ruled out.
As the frontal system passes during the middle of the weekend, we’re not expecting temperatures to cool down that much, maybe returning to freezing overnight Saturday and warming into the upper-30s to near 40 on Sunday. A scattered precipitation may fall on Sunday and the clouds look to stick around through the end of the forecast period. Way off in the distance a coastal low is likely to develop on Tuesday, but a lot of uncertainty exists on how far north the precipitation reaches and that will remain a mystery for several days. If precipitation does get further north, it will fall as all snow, hopefully recharging our snowpack. Get out and enjoy the sunshine while you can.
Forecast Details:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: 35. Low: 17.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High: 40. Low: 23.
Friday: Increasing clouds. Light mixed precipitation developing late, changing to all rain. High: 43. Low: 31, rising through the 30s overnight.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain showers, mixed with snow showers overnight. High: 47. Low: 30.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain or snow showers, changing to snow showers in the afternoon. A dusting to two inches of snow possible. High: 40. Low: 25.
Tyler is weather reporter and a community journalist. He works as a nurse and EMT, volunteers with Hardwick Resdue and helps to train new EMTs
