RI Weather: Some Sprinkles/Flurries Sunday Evening; Rain/Snow Event By Tuesday Morning

Weather Forecast & Discussion for Rhode Island on February 5, 2017

“The First Forty-Eight”

• Sunday: Overcast in the morning, with possible sprinkles by 3 p.m. Look for highs in the lower 40’s and WSW winds 11-14 mph. Any sprinkles or snow showers end by 10 p.m., with partly cloudy skies after midnight. Lows will be in the upper 20’s.
• Monday: Mostly sunny and cooler with highs in the upper 30’s and winds from the WNW at 9-12 mph. Increasing clouds expected Monday night, with a risk for snow showers before 4 a.m. Tuesday. Lows will be in the middle 20’s.

Forecast Discussion:

Strong high pressure over North Carolina at the moment is giving the Ocean State mostly sunny skies this Saturday afternoon. This high will continue to give us partly cloudy skies into Saturday night, before we see increasing clouds into Sunday morning. The moisture will come from a low pressure system moving into Quebec, Canada. Look for lows tonight in the lower 20’s.

For Super Bowl Sunday, it will be overcast, but dry. So, if you need to head to the market for that bag of chips or drinks, the weather will remain dry, but breezy. Look for highs to be in the lower 40’s. By the late afternoon, about 3 p.m., there is the chance of seeing some sprinkles across the state. Any sprinkles or flurries will end by 10 p.m., as the low moves into Nova Scotia. Then, high pressure ridging will help dry our skies by Sunday night, returning us to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low temperatures will be in the upper 20’s.

Winds will slowly turn to the northwest on Monday, helping to bring cooler air back over Southern New England. We will keep mostly sunny skies through the daytime hours, with increasing clouds expected during the overnight. High temperatures will only be in the upper 30’s, with low temperatures in the middle 20’s.

As we move into Tuesday morning, a low pressure system over eastern Illinois will bring the risk for snow showers before 4 a.m. We will remain with snow showers until 10 or 11 a.m., before the warm front begins to push into Rhode Island from the south. We will begin to see a mix of rain and snow entering noon, although there is the slight chance it could become freezing rain, putting down a little layer of ice. However, by 2 p.m., the ice will change over to all rain, as the warm front moves into central Rhode Island. Accumulations of 1-2 inches of snow is possible before changing over to rain, except along the south coast and Block Island, where it will be a coating, at best. Look for highs Tuesday to be in the middle to upper 30’s. By Tuesday night, enough warm air will be at the lower levels of the atmosphere to keep the precipitation as just plain rain. Lows will remain steady in the middle to upper 30’s. It will remain wet on Wednesday, as we continue to see rain and showers. It will be quite mild, as high temperatures will reach the lower 50’s. Showers will come to an end by the evening commute, as the cold front associated with the low moves through Rhode Island. It will be breezy Wednesday night, as skies begin to clear, and cold air returns over New England. Low temperatures Wednesday night will fall into the upper 20’s.

A strong high pressure ridge over New England will bring sunny skies on Thursday, but temperatures return to normal conditions. After highs in the lower 50’s the day before, the mercury will only reach the middle 30’s. We will keep partly cloudy skies for Thursday night, with lows in the upper teens. The ridge will keep us protected from any developing ocean storms Friday, with highs only reaching near freezing. The ridge should bring partly sunny skies for next Saturday, although we may see some snow and/or rain showers before midnight. Low temperatures Friday night will be in the upper teens, with highs next Saturday in the upper 30’s.

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.