Another round of precipitation is going to move through late tonight and the first part of Monday. Unlike Sunday, when it was marginally cold for freezing rain, temperatures have now fallen well below 32F across statewide, so there will be more in the way of freezing rain early Monday closer to the coastline.
If you have a report on how much ice you have received, please tweet me @growingwisdom on twitter. You can also find updates to the forecast there.
The freezing rain could impact the morning commute for some of you, especially inland away from the water.
The three maps below show where the greatest threat for icing will occur. Although the coast is in the rain zone, this only means the amount of rain vs. freezing rain favors rain. This doesn’t mean Portland and other coastal communities won’t see some icing, as they will.
The reason for the icing situation is a front sitting across New England. As warm and moist air rides up and over the cold air at the surface, it creates copious amounts of precipitation. If the air at the ground is cold enough, the rain will freeze upon contact.
If the air cools enough, above the ground, then we can see the precipitation fall in the form of sleet or snow. This will be the case over northern areas and why there is a winter storm warning there.
The front creating this mess has pushed south through much of Massachusetts as is evident by the image below. Notice how chilly it is in Boston, but how warm it is well west of the area.
The reason we keep seeing lulls in the precipitation is the energy along the front isn’t consistent. As we get bursts of atmospheric energy, it precipitates, then it stops until the next wave arrives. I expect one or two more waves of rain and freezing rain through the end of the day Monday.
Christmas forecast
Drier weather returns for Tuesday and Wednesday, Christmas Day, with highs in the 20s Tuesday and upper teens for Christmas. There will be dry roads and bright sunshine both days so getting around should be easy, provided the ice and snow is cleaned up from the weekend weather.
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