Tuesday Nor’easter (12/9/14 8:00 Update) The National Weather Service has issued Winter Weather Advisories, Wind Advisories, a Coastal Flood Advisory, and a Flood Watch for parts of Massachusetts due to a strong coastal low pressure system (Nor’easter) impacting New England today. Heaviest precipitation is expected today into this evening. Please see the attached graphics for additional details. The main impacts of this storm will be a period of freezing rain in the morning, heavy wet snow, heavy rain and associated flooding, and strong damaging winds. Freezing Drizzle / Wintry Mix - A brief period of freezing rain and/or drizzle will occur through the morning rush hour with impacts on travel before transitioning to all rain. Heavy Wet Snow - There is the potential for accumulating wet snow across portions of western Massachusetts today starting between 7 AM and 10 AM and ending by mid-afternoon. Snowfall may be heavy at times with a total of 2” to 4”. Snow may cling to power lines and result in downed branches/limbs and power lines, causing isolated power outages. Snow is expected to transition to rain or freezing rain during the day. See two snowfall graphics below. Coastal Flooding - Pockets of minor coastal flooding are possible during the midday high tide, which will fall between 11 AM and 3 PM. Surges of 1.5 to 2.0 ft. above the astronomical tide are expected. East-facing beaches have the greatest risk for flooding. Strong Winds - A Wind Advisory is in effect along the coast. Wind gusts of 40-50 mph are expected in the Boston metro area and along the Cape Cod Canal. Wind gusts of 50-55 mph, just shy of Warning criteria, are predicted for the southeast MA coast, including Plymouth County, Cape Cod, and Marthas Vineyard/Nantucket. Strongest winds occur between 1 pm and 7 pm. Strong winds may result in downed tree limbs and power lines, and isolated power outages. Heavy Rain and Flooding - Heavy rainfall of 2 to over 3 inches is expected beginning during the day and continuing into Tuesday evening. There is a low possibility that some locations may receive up to 4 inches of rain. The majority of the rainfall will occur in a 6-hour period from 1 PM to 7 PM today. The heavy rainfall will cause urban and poor drainage flooding, but river flooding is not expected to occur. Isolated thunderstorms are possible late this afternoon and early evening, mainly over Cape Cod and the Islands. Utilize Massachusetts Alerts to receive emergency notifications and information from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. Massachusetts Alerts is powered by a free app that is available for Android and iPhones. To learn more about Massachusetts Alerts, and for information on how to download the free app (called Massachusetts Alerts) onto your smartphone, visit: mass.gov/mema/mobileapp.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 13:38:14 +0000
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