RI Weather: Moderate Snow During Tuesday Evening Commute; Drier And Colder On Weekend

Weather Forecast & Discussion for Rhode Island on January 31, 2017

“The First Forty-Eight”

• Tuesday: Light to moderate snow starting after 12 p.m. Snow may be moderate to heavy into the evening commute, giving us snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour. Look for 2-4 inches in general across the state by 8 p.m. Highs will be in the upper 20’s with winds shifting to the southeast at 5-8 mph. Scattered snow showers until midnight, with lows in the upper 20’s. Another inch of accumulation is possible before midnight.
• Wednesday: Passing snow showers into mid-morning, before ending. Partial sunshine expected by the afternoon. Highs will be in the lower 40’s, with west winds increasing to 12-15 mph. Partly cloudy skies Wednesday night, with lows in the middle 20’s.

Forecast Discussion:

At the moment, all eyes are on an Alberta Clipper system, centered over northeast Ohio. Ahead of this low, we are beginning to see increasing clouds. As we enter the afternoon, snow showers will begin to fall, especially between 1 and 3 p.m. Moderate to at times heavy bands of snow will begin to fall, which will be inconvenient for the evening commute. Some areas may see snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. However, after the evening commute, the snow will taper off, and we will see sporadic snow showers through the evening. Generally, the state will see 2-4 inches of snow by early tomorrow morning, although a line from Woonsocket east to Foster may see 3-5 inches. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the entire state from noon until 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Also, if you unsure your city or town has a parking ban in effect, or if anything will be cancelled or closed in the state, just click here for the latest updates.

A new weak low pressure system will try to form over Northern New England during early Wednesday morning. The clipper low will move into the Atlantic, but we may still see some scattered snow showers, before ending by mid-morning on Wednesday. Drier air from the southwest will slowly bring back some partial sunshine, but not until the early afternoon. Look for highs in the lower 40’s, with a brisk west wind. Skies will become partly cloudy by Wednesday night, with lows falling into the middle 20’s. As high pressure moves east, it will help bring in reinforced colder air, and our temperatures will begin to fall. Despite mostly sunny skies for Thursday, highs will only reach the upper 30’s. Clear skies are expected for Thursday night, but the mercury will fall into the upper teens to near 20 degrees.

The weekend will start off nice, as that high pressure system moves into the Ohio River Valley by Saturday morning. The high will give us mostly sunny skies for Friday and Saturday. Look for highs to be in the lower 30’s, with lows in the upper teens under partly cloudy skies. For Super Bowl Sunday, the weather will be partly to mostly sunny during the morning and early afternoon hours. So, if you are travelling to a friend’s house for the game, or just picking up last minute snacks, the weather looks good. But, the computer models are showing a low pressure system moving into Quebec bringing some snow showers or light snow between 5 and 7 p.m. The snow showers will be brief, as the showers would be over by 3 a.m. Monday morning. Highs on Sunday would be in the middle 30’s, with lows Sunday night in the upper 20’s. Skies would become partly sunny on Monday, with highs rising into the upper 30’s. Another strong low may bring some rain showers into the area by Tuesday evening. Because we would have south winds, high temperatures are predicted to reach the middle 40’s, making the precipitation just rain.

Jim Laurie is a local meteorologist who earned a B.S. in Meteorology at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, VT. Jim has fifteen years of professional experience, with eight years in the field of marine meteorology.