We have a great story about the weather to tell this morning. Today is going to get spring fever going in earnest with temperatures into the 40s in many spots. Sunshine will be mixed with clouds and you can expect to see water running down the sides of the road as more melting takes place. The cure for that fever arrives this weekend with colder air and some snow. If you are fortunate to be skiing today, you might want to use the sunscreen.

A cold front will push through the area overnight and usher in colder, but not bitter air. By morning most areas will see temperature readings in the 20s. I expect a round of snow showers in the morning with rain showers possible in the afternoon at the coast.  Any snow that occurs late tonight or the first part of Saturday will not amount to very much.  However, even with a small amount snow Saturday slippery travel can result.

The front that is going to bring the colder air to the region will not make it very far offshore. This means that the contrast between the mild air and cold air will also sit just off the East Coast tomorrow night. For a storm to grow large it needs a good temperature contrast combined with a strong jet stream. Both of those conditions will be present tomorrow night. The strongest winds in the part of the jet stream near us will be blowing at speeds over 170 knots. Notice in the image below the pink area off the East Coast. I am sure that with these conditions a large storm will develop to our south and east Saturday night and Sunday. What is still questionable is just how close to Maine this storm will get.

Right now, it appears most of the state will be spared any effects from this storm. The storm will bring accumulating snow across parts of southern New England and that will occur overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. I will be watching new data this afternoon and updating the forecast if there are changes. Sunday afternoon windy and colder air will be streaming into the area. Monday will be sunny, blustery and chilly with highs remaining under freezing for most of the area.

Another weather system will impact the area Tuesday with rain or snow showers at the coast and some snow inland, but that is quite far away and much can and will change before next week. The overall pattern is active and in these types of patterns big changes to the forecast can occur in short time. You might go to bed one night and the forecast is for one thing and then you get up in the morning and it has changed dramatically. This is just part of what happens when you have winds at close to 200 miles per hour blowing around the planet. I’d love to hear from you. Please find me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and send me a question.

Gardening this week This week I have a video on one of the easiest plants you can grow. The jade plant is one of those houseplants that is almost foolproof. Spend a few minutes learning more about this minimal care plant.