A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Saturday morning at 4 a.m. through Sunday morning at 7 a.m.. A Winter Storm Watch, as we know, implies 6”+ snow is expected to fall in a 12 hour period or 8 inches in a 24 hour span. A Winter Storm Warning uses the same parameters as the Watch yet this time the authors of the data are wicked sure the forecast is accurate.
In addition, and most often a byproduct of such weather, are high wind and coastal flood warnings.
The wind warning is up from 10 a.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday where winds in the 30-40 mph range are expected with gusts upwards of 50; quick aside, we’ve seen these conditions twice this season.
The coastal flood warning has become the little brother always tagging along with the crowd and joins the party based simply on the timing of the tides; this timing is speculated to occur late Sunday morning so we can cross that bridge when we get to it unless of course it’s flooded.
With a revised 6” – 10” of snowfall expected, the missing variable is the temperature as this will decide whether or not we’re in for a wet, heavy snow or something on the lighter side which diminishes the likelihood of power outages. On that score, Ever Source has bumped up its quality points in recent years with a notably quicker response and a closer eye on the overall power line tree relationships; and here everyone was grumbling over a blind-side 37% rate hike. In either event, temps look to move far enough above the freezing mark which would make the potential for any power/freeze up issues quite remote.
If you are here or heading here: 1. When you see clusters of local plows gathering in package store parking lots, you have a 2-3 hour window before the first flakes arrive; 2. If you have natural gas as a heat source and arrive post snow fall, take the time to check your exhaust and make sure it’s not covered with a drift.
As a lifelong resident of the outer Cape I was the third generation to pick up the mantel in the family construction business. In my early twenties, I called the Cape my home on weekends as I spent several years working for a variety of off-Cape commercial construction companies. My site supervision resume includes two supermarkets, two HUD projects, a funeral home and a handful of steel industrial buildings as well as various restaurant and office remodels.