Evening update 6:15PM
Snow is beginning to show up on radar and will overspread the area this evening. The snow could be moderate to heavy for a few hours late this evening and in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The snow will be over before the morning commute, but there will be some sloppy roads. Be sure to fill the windshield reservoir in your car, you’ll need lots of the blue stuff.

8AM Blog Below

A brilliantly sunny morning leads to eventual clouds and a burst of snow this evening. Our next weather maker is already bringing precipitation to the Ohio Valley and this is quickly heading east.

This isn’t going to be a big storm and there are some definite differences from previous snow events this winter. One of the most notable will be temperatures. As the snow begins, it will be light and fluffy, similar to much of the snow in February. However, as milder air works northward, the snow will become stickier and a bit heavier. There may even be a brief coating of sleet on top of the snow as it ends Wednesday morning.

I am expecting generally 3 to 4 inches of snow, but some areas could see 5 inches, especially in pockets north and west of Portland. Over southern York County there might only be 2 to 3 inches of snow as it will be a bit milder there.

The snow begins around or just after the evening commute and then ends after midnight. There will still be some slick areas of driving for the Wednesday morning commute, especially on untreated surfaces and the further north you are as the precipitation will have ended latest in Augusta and Bangor.

As the weather system pulls north, skies will partially clear and temperatures will respond. For the first time since January 19 highs will reach 40 degrees or even a bit higher in much of the area. This will feel like spring compared to the cold of the past month and a half and there will be some melting of the freshly fallen snow.

Colder air comes right back into the region on Thursday with highs in the 20s. A storm will slip south of the area Thursday morning and bring some clouds, but any snow should stay south of the state line.

Our weather looks rather tranquil heading into the weekend and into early next week. Temperatures will slowly moderate, with a very gentle melting of the snowpack. It’s going to take many weeks to melt the snow and the slower it happens the less likely flooding is going to be an issue.

With river ice very thick and a snowpack so deep the potential for major spring flooding remains quite high. This situation will need to be closely watched during the second half of March and the first half of April when the breakup of ice, the melting of snow and spring rain can all combine to cause major issues.

There are many years when the snow is very deep and we don’t have widespread spring flooding. It’s all about the timing of weather systems and the temperatures they bring.

You can follow my gardening and weather tips here and on Twitter @growingwisdom
Follow @growingwisdom

Copy the Story Link