Dave Epstein: Storm could bring snow to higher-elevation areas, Northern New England

Two people walk across a crosswalk on a rainy day. They hold their hats and hoods. — Passers-by are buffeted by wind as they cross a street, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in Boston. A storm moving up the East Coast brought heavy rain and high winds to the Northeast on Monday, threatening flooding, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands.

Dave Epstein is a meterologist who partners with GBH News to provide daily weather updates and weekly higher-level conversations on Morning Edition.

Gal Tziperman Lotan is a digital producer for GBH’s Morning Edition.

April 02, 2024

Paris Alston: This is GBH's Morning Edition. A significant storm is on the way this week, bringing April showers — and in some areas, snow — to New England.

Jeremy Siegel: Meteorologist Dave Epstein is tracking this weather system and joins us now for an update. Good morning Dave.

Dave Epstein: Good morning. Good morning, both of you.

Siegel: So this is quite literally the calm before the storm. And it's a slow-moving storm. I think people might look at their weather apps and see that on Wednesday, it looks like we might start seeing some stormy weather. When does it actually begin?

Epstein: Yeah, it's a great question. So we've got a couple of areas of low pressure that are going to impact the region over the next, you know, really three days all the way up until Friday. So this morning we have a little bit of a low center that's going to be moving kind of back through the Great Lakes. And we have a little bit of precipitation trying to push in to our south. That'll make it up to about New York City and then try to move up into Hartford and then probably get shunted back towards the south a little bit. So if we do see any precipitation later this afternoon and early evening, that would be about it. And then tomorrow the main storm starts to get going off of the New Jersey coastline, and then it very slowly heads up into southern New England and then finally into the Gulf of Maine. That won't happen until the wee hours of Friday morning, and that may sit there during the day Friday along the coastline of Maine. So if you think about this, it's going to be off New Jersey at about 7, 8, 9, 10 o'clock on Wednesday evening. And it's only going to be off the coast of Maine around 7, 8 a.m. Friday morning. It's going to move that slowly.

Alston: So, Dave, when we're thinking about this, of course we know that it can depend on where you are, what you're going to see. So what areas will see snow and what areas will see rain? And how will that famous rain-snow line come into effect?

Epstein: Yeah. So when you get spring storms like this, most of the snow tends to be over the higher elevations. So here in southern New England, I'm not concerned about snow in Greater Boston east of 495. I really don't think we're going to see much in the way of snowfall at all. However, as you get to the north around the Route 2 area, those towns which border New Hampshire and Vermont, they're up higher. And that's where the snow can accumulate. And the snow there could accumulate, a coating to a few inches. It could be 4 or 5 or 6 inches of snow in some of those real border towns on that line. Once you get into New Hampshire and Maine, that's where it's really going to start to increase. So as you get into Western York, Cumberland, Oxford counties on through ski country, there's going to be anywhere from as little as 5, 6 inches of snow all the way up to over a foot of heavy, wet snow. And that's going to create power outages. So if folks are thinking about, hey, I want to go skiing up in that part, maybe you have a house or maybe you're renting something, just be aware that there can be scattered power outages, especially Thursday into Friday. I think by the time we get to the weekend, the power should be back online.

Siegel: So there's a chance for power problems. What about flooding, given that this is so slow moving and will hover over the region for so long?

Epstein: Yeah. So in terms of flooding, I think that freshwater flooding is definitely a possibility. We've all talked about this. The words 'flood warning' get issued whether or not you go one centimeter over flood stage or three feet over flood stage. So the devil is in the details. The flooding will be minor. So you may hear flood warnings, but it'll be minor to perhaps moderate street and stream flooding. But that's about it. In terms of power outages, I think those are going to be relegated to northern Worcester County, if at all, but mostly northern New England.

Alston: Well, I got to say, as the late, great singer Prince once said, sometimes it snows in April. But this other saying that we all know is that April showers bring May flowers. So can we expect some nice spring weather and flowers blooming as this moves out, Dave?

Epstein: Yeah. Of course. And the good news is, is that the timing of this, because it's moving so slowly and the clouds are really going to be around Friday afternoon and into Saturday and maybe even Sunday morning, that should — I don't want to get my hopes up too much — clear us out for the eclipse on Monday. So right now many of the models are throwing high pressure in here for Monday. And if the models are right and this thing times out, it is going to be an absolutely stellar, epic event for those areas which are in the path of totality. I mean, you will see pictures that will be just incredible. And for those people that are up there, it is life-altering to be able to see a total solar eclipse like that. Take off those glasses if you're in that path of totality and look at what is just an amazing celestial event. So fingers crossed this holds.

Alston: Wait, you can take the glasses off and look?

Epstein: You can take the glasses off if you're in the path of totality.

Alston: Okay, I see.

Epstein: During, during that —

Siegel: Once it gets totally dark.

Alston: I see.

Epstein: Once it's totally dark. It's just like, you know, putting your hand in front of the sun and looking at your hand. It's the same thing. You can do that. That's the only place. Do not do it anywhere else or it'll be the last thing you see.

Siegel: That's meteorologist Dave Epstein. Dave, thanks so much for your time this morning.

Epstein: You're welcome.

Alston: You're listening to GBH News.

A slow-moving storm is on the horizon, expected to bring some snow to higher-elevation areas along the Vermont and New Hampshire borders and up to ski country in Maine — but only rain to the Boston area, GBH meteorologist Dave Epstein said.

“We've got a couple of areas of low pressure that are going to impact the region over the next three days all the way up until Friday,” Epstein said Tuesday morning.

The week in weather will start off light: On Tuesday morning, a low center was moving through the Great Lakes, with a bit of precipitation coming through to our south, Epstein said.

“That'll make it up to about New York City and then try to move up into Hartford and then probably get shunted back towards the south a little bit, so if we do see any precipitation later this afternoon and early evening, that would be about it,” Epstein said.

On Wednesday, the main storm will begin taking shape along the New Jersey coast, he said.

“Then it very slowly heads up into southern New England and then finally into the Gulf of Maine,” he said. “That won't happen until the wee hours of Friday morning, and that may sit there during the day Friday along the coastline of Maine.”

Still a high chance of significant snow for northern ski areas with upcoming storm. Important to note snow maps assume 10:1 ratio and with spring storms it's usually 2/3rds or 1/2 that. Colder storms can be double, but that is mostly winter month stuff. pic.twitter.com/RDEKHahcdb
— Dave Epstein (@growingwisdom) April 1, 2024

Don’t expect more than rain in Boston, he said. Some areas could see a flood warning, but he did not expect anything major, he said.

“I think that freshwater flooding is definitely a possibility,” he said. “The words 'flood warning' get issued whether or not you go one centimeter over flood stage or three feet over flood stage. So the devil is in the details. The flooding will be minor.”

But the higher your elevation, the more likely you are to see real snowfall, he said.

If you are headed north Wednesday night and especially Thursday be aware it will be winter road conditions. Skiing up there this weekend should be stunning. ⛷️🌨️❄️#Winter pic.twitter.com/Wt79LZkAcz
— Dave Epstein (@growingwisdom) April 2, 2024

“When you get spring storms like this, most of the snow tends to be over the higher elevations,” he said. “In Greater Boston east of 495, I really don't think we're going to see much in the way of snowfall at all. However, as you get to the north around the Route 2 area, those towns which border New Hampshire and Vermont, they're up higher. And that's where the snow can accumulate.”

Those areas can expect anywhere from a coating to 5 or 6 inches, he said. Up in New Hampshire and Maine, people in ski country can expect anywhere from 5 inches to a foot of wet, heavy snow.

It could be a good time for springtime skiing, he said.

“Just be aware that there can be scattered power outages, especially Thursday into Friday,” Epstein said. “I think by the time we get to the weekend, the power should be back online.”

Once the storm moves out this weekend, he said, it should make way for clear skies in time for Monday’s solar eclipse.

“That should — I don't want to get my hopes up too much — clear us out for the eclipse on Monday,” he said. “If the models are right and this thing times out, it is going to be an absolutely stellar, epic event for those areas which are in the path of totality. I mean, you will see pictures that will be just incredible. And for those people that are up there, it is life-altering to be able to see a total solar eclipse like that.”