Snow Squalls Briefly Bring Whiteout Conditions Across Massachusetts Saturday
BOSTON (CBS) – We had a record high in Boston on Thursday, 62 degrees on Friday morning, and the subject of this blog, naturally, is SNOW.
February has been quite a trip. The ups and downs have been dramatic, and we have the car-swallowing potholes to prove it.
Temperatures crashed back to "normal" (if there is such a thing anymore) Saturday with highs in the 30s. Despite that morning sunshine, a cold front passed through the area Saturday afternoon with two bands of snow showers. The first band brought light to moderate snow, but the second skinny band brought more intense snowfall and strong gusts. Similar to summertime thunderstorms, but instead of rain, it was snow.
In fact, thundersnow was reported in some communities!
Snow squall warnings were issued for central and eastern Massachusetts earlier Saturday afternoon and evening.
As these snow squalls pushed through, the burst of snow was so heavy and the winds were so fierce that whiteout conditions were reported in numerous cities and towns.
Clearly, it is extremely dangerous to be driving in a snow squall, as road conditions can also deteriorate quite rapidly. The snow arrived quickly, lasting only minutes. Then, it moved out as fast as it came. Nonetheless, coatings up to 1" was recorded across the state.
Behind these squalls, the winds remained gusty through the first half of Saturday night, generally at 20-to-40 mph. That wind is also transporting colder air into the region.
Any moisture or light snow that fell will freeze up on untreated surfaces. Expect very slick road conditions through Sunday morning. And if you did get any minor accumulation in your driveway or backyard, once again, it won't stick around very long. With a good deal of sunshine on Sunday and temperature in the upper 30s, most of the snow with vanish.
Next week, more weather drama. We are expecting several more days in the 50s and 60s, more soaking rain late Tuesday, and then late in the week, well, perhaps a more "wintry" storm. Massachusetts may just be one big pothole after all that!
Stay safe. Our team will keep you updated through it all on WBZ-TV, CBSBoston.com and CBS News Boston.
