FINAL NOTE - This storm showed a remarkable ability to drop snowfall across the area, despite being of relative weakness when compared to the average storm system to come on through. This just goes to show how important the identification of the location and strength of the colder air underneath a local high pressure system is...in addition to all the dynamics that may swirl around a relatively weak center. This system was one that made use of 'conveyor-belt' processes in the atmosphere, and it merely was a conduit to being a drop-off point for decent snowfalls. Sometimes these storms can have quite a lot of snow fall from them, but they are normally seen as quite prolonged events in that case.

10:00 PM - The accumulating snows are ending from the northwest to the southeast...and should be pulling through the whole of Western Mass around midnight or shortly thereafter. There is still expected to be accumulating snows before then, and several folks have been reporting a good swath of 5" - 9" of snowfall across the Pike and up the Eastern slopes of the Berkshires. Some of us are still in line for an incho or so more accumulation.

The current 'Regional Radar' map shows the departing storm, and current weather WebCams can show you the current road conditions for all types of surfaces. One interesting thing to note, as indicated by the 'Current Surface Pressure' map, the lowest pressure this storm has been able to attain so far is around 1007mb. Seeing that the average surface pressure on the planet is around 1013mb, this really isn't that strong (perhaps it's noteworthy in its weakness). The lowest surface pressure recorded by Hurricane Katrina, by contrast, was around 904mb...so you can see how some dynamics in this system were on the lacking side.

9:00 PM - The back edge of energy is moving toward the area, which means the end is in sight. No doubt a lot of folks would find that 'good news', even though most of us should have ended our traveling for the night. On the 'Local Radar' map, the snow is tapering off in the northwest corner of Massachusetts (near North Adams)...This edge will slowly migrate southeastward as the moisture band finishes out over the next few hours. Snowflakes should still hang around into Saturday, but the discussion is primarily about accumulating snows. Keep in mind the roads are still quite slick (and in some places unplowed).

The 'Current Pressure' map shows our system (marked by the area of lowest pressure) approaching Cape Cod on it's way out of our area. Latest '3 Hour Pressure Changes' are already showing passage through CT and parts of extreme Western MA. We've had plenty of snow across the region, albeit from only about 0.5" of liquid precipitation. This would only have been a minor nuisance if this were all rain...but instead a 6"+ swath of snow has graced the area.

If you haven't seen your area's snowfall total...you can measure it yourself and send it in! Also...any weather scene you photograph is welcome here...Send that in too!

8:00 PM - The snow continues to hold its own...Even though it's not as intense as before, the fact that it is still accumulating means the road crews still have to work, and the roads themselves will still be covered for a while. In one perspective, perhaps the event has progressed into the 'annoying' where the novelty of a Friday snowstorm has worn off, and the preference would be for it to just stop. Well, the feeding inflow of moisture continues from the western side, even though the one from the south is oriented much farther east. The 'Regional Radar' demonstrates this. A few snowfall totals:

Northfield ... 8.5"
Sharon, CT ... 8.0"
Westhampton ... 6.0"
Woodford, VT ... 5.0"

7:00 PM - Snow continues to fall, though not as steady as before. We've picked up about a half-inch in the last 2 hours, but that is not the story everywhere. There's always a 'little extra' in locations that are upslope from the wind. Some recent snowfall accumulations into the station:

Sharon, CT ... 8.0"
Becket ... 6.0"
Northfield ... 5.8"
Southwick ... 5.0"
Holyoke ... 5.0"
Chicopee .. 4.5"

Looking at the latest 'Surface Pressure' map, a closed off low-pressure center is making it's way offshore, and judging from the Wind Streamlines, the air flow is now getting behind the system as it takes control (winds flow counter-clockwise around low-pressure centers). Current Wet-Bulb Temperatures show warmer saturated air inching northward, upping the appearance of sleet into the greater Hartford area, but at this point it's not expected to override the snow locally. Accumulating snows should still fall for another few hours, with decreasing intensity...before tapering to some flurries that may bring a coating each pass.

6:00 PM - Cracks in the armor finally appearing. Snow is still falling, and the roads are still bad, and visibility still low, but there are indications that the snow will not be as heavy in the near future. There will be some pockets and bursts of snow to be sure, but it appears that the main jets of wind delivering moisture to the area, the 'conveyor belts' if you will...are moving on to more favorable territory (and the one to our west starting to weaken altogether).

This is borne out the best in the analysis of 'Vertical Velocity' together with the 'Regional Radar'. It's becoming clear that the best ascent and lifting is occuring well to our east, and even though there still is lifting (and snowing) overhead, the trend is toward a slow-down of that behavior.

Nevertheless, keep up the caution for the next few hours, until there is a reflection of this lightening on the ground, and of course until the roads themselves become easier to navigate.

5:00 PM - The storm seems to be peaking at the moment, and could very well last as such for the next few hours, with some locations picking up 1"/hr snowfall rates. Already, the lower threshold of forecast snowfall totals is being reached. Some recent snowfall reports:

West Otis ... 6.0"
Blandford ... 6.0"
Springfield ... 5.0"
Westfield ... 4.0"
Westhampton ... 3.0"
Northfield ... 2.8"

An interesting item to note on the 'Regional Radar'. It appears the feeding conveyor belt oriented toward us from the south has migrated it's 'drop-off point' further east, toward the I-495 area. However, the east-west oriented feeder coming in from Pennsylvania/New York still maintains itself. There's a steady fetch of wind at the mid-levels of the atmosphere keeping this in play, and the continuation of accumulating snows may very well end up depending on the staying power of this stream of moisture going forward, rather than the richer one to our south. Nevertheless, there's still more accumulations to come, and roads will still be treacherous into the night.

If you take a picture of a snowy scene, don't hesitate to send it in! Also, we welcome all snowfall/storm reports and they are VERY helpful...so keep sending them in!

4:00 PM - Visibilities certainly going downhill across the area, and unfortunately, as expected lining up with the evening commute time (and considering this a school vacation week, also a prime time for longer distance travel). Current Visibilities are down to around a half-mile at the present time, and it's easily conceivable that they periodically drop further. 'Current Radar' shows some deeper moisture coming into the area (sometimes it's good to look at just the raw returns, and not color-code them for precipitation type-- here the heaviest is in the darker green).

If you're kicking around leaving the office, and want to know how the roads are doing, you can check out the Weather WebCams, on our 'Current Conditions' page...For example, check out how the main roads are, by looking at 'Downtown Northampton', or perhaps a smaller road in 'Sunderland'....or maybe a travel destination conditions, by looking at 'Albany'.

Another note...to this point in the storm, we've only received a few tenths of an inch of moisture. Imagine if that Valentine's Day storm, which dropped nearly 4" of precipitation in some spots, was an all-snow affair!

3:00 PM - The snow continues to come down at a pretty good clip locally, and with temperatures rising into the upper 20s, we shouldn't see as 'fluffy' a snow cover. It's going to take more moisture to make the same accumulations going forward, but we'll certainly have it. Some additional totals have been reported...as you can let us know what you're at in your town! ...

Tolland, CT ... 4.1"
Moosup, CT ... 3.0"
Alford ... 1.5"

The 'Current Pressure' map shows a clear centralization of low pressure down along the south-Jersey shore. 1012mb (milibars) is not very strong at all for a system (many 'noreasters sink below 980mb)...but all it needs to do is keep the conveyor-belt of moisture over the same place for decent amounts. As the system meanders to the east, so would the conveyor belt it's focusing. Recent '3-Hour Pressure Change' shows a clear motivation for the system center (represented by the lowest pressure measurement) to head to a location just south of the cape. The 'Current Streamlines' map shows that the wind field is now getting more organized around this new developing low to our south, as it will emerge as the arbitor of 'who gets what'.

2:00 PM - Snow continues to fall across the area, with a bit more intensity and lower visibilities. I've created and placed a new product on the 'Current Conditions' Page of the website, one that hourly depicts the 'Vertical Velocity' of the air. The movement of air in our atmosphere is not confined to an X/Y plane, and it is the vertical component of wind movement that is essential for cloud development and precipitation.

So take a look at the current 'Vertical Velocity' map for the region. You'll notice a bunch of contours, similar to other weather maps. The NEGATIVE numbers correspond to vertical air motion, while the POSITIVE numbers reflect sinking air. Suffice it to say that the vertical air motion lines up with the location of our storm. A map like this is pretty useful, as it can pinpoint a region of air that has the best ascent, which would reflect a stronger precipitation rate. If we get a bulls-eye overhead this afternoon of vertical velocity, then you can probably figure on 1-2" per hour snowfall rates right when you don't want them.

1:00 PM - Our snowstorm is getting better organized as I write this. Snowfall totals are again coming into the station. Be careful driving on the roads later this afternoon...

Torrington, CT ... 3.5"
Lanesborough ... 3.0"
Blandford ... 3.0"
Savoy ... 1.8"

Another interesting item is developing on the 'Regional Radar' map. If you look closely, you can see two trails of moisture streaming out of the blob of snowfall that is falling over Southern New England...Well, what is actually happening, is that moisture is 'feeding into' the blob overhead. Often in developing storm systems, we look for these feeds of moisture to make sure the air overhead continues to get stay soaked with moisture. When you think about it, if all the water directly overhead were to be squeezed out as precipitable water...we'd only have a total of, say a inch or so. So, in strong storms, there needs to be a mechanism to keep the moisture coming into the area, to drop out of the sky as snow (or rain)...much like the function of a conveyor belt. The appearances of these little trails of moisture streaming toward the area is good evidence of such a set-up.

12:00 PM - Snow has been picking back up across the area, after a small lull. From here on out expect conditions to continue to worsten, peaking perhaps during the evening commute. This storm is not going to have any winds or 'blizzard' conditions associated with it, but a nagging, persistent snowfall won't be too fun either. Keep in mind the extra reduction in visibility that falling flakes bring about.

The 'Current Radar' is indicating this resurgence of moisture...as the local map no longer has any 'holes' in the spread of precipitation. The 'Current Visibility' map indicates in the stronger snowfall that we'll be down to less than a mile (and probably less than a 1/4 mile)...which means if driving at 60 miles per hour, you will only be able to see the ground about 3 seconds infront of yourself. Meaning...If you're driving on the highway and see for the first time an overturned Semi in front of you...the time has already started ticking for you to apply the breaks and slow down to zero in just few seconds to miss it. Or, if you just slow down...you give yourself more time for this reaction to take place in a more controlled fashion.

At work and want to know the latest...? In addition to following along on this blog, and looking at our Weather coverage on our website, including live updating Storm Closings...you can tune into our 24/7 Online Webstream "Weather Now"...Be safe driving this afternoon; it's a great time to be inside!

10:45 AM - Some snowfall totals have been coming into the station lately, indicating a decent burst of snow (though, as said earlier, from a relatively small amount of actual liquid precipitation)...

Blandford ... 2.0"
Litchfield, CT ... 2.0"
Thomaston, CT ... 1.8"
Springfield ... 1.0"
Dalton ... 0.6"

The Current Radar Map is now showing a little rainfall gathering underneath the plume of snow (look toward south Jersey). This is good news from a meteorological standpoint, because it shows that there's deepening pressure offshore, and a central meeting ground is starting to form where the snow in the north and the moisture-rich rain in the south are getting together. This will help feed the system itself where otherwise the snow overhead would wither on the vine. Now, it stil is expected we'll see a little lull as things get more organized to our south, but the afternoon is not expected to be pretty on the roadways.

If you think to...go ahead...stick a ruler in the ground and measure the snow in your yard...let us know how much ya got!

9:45 AM - It's neat to keep track of temperature in an approaching storm system such as this one. Often the cold air will be trapped in the valleys by a departing high-pressure system (normally known for their nice weather, like the day we had yesterday). If you look at the 'Current Surface Pressure' map, you'll notice that the highest air pressure readings are sneaking into Maine. That's the direction of the high pressure system (often it is equally important to monitor the location and strength of high pressure when dealing with a developing low-pressure storm). In a storm complex, the high pressure area is responsible for maintaining a cold pool of air from which snow will fall. Judging from the latest '24-Hour Temperature Change' map, temperatures have still be cooling in Maine, underneath the center of high pressure, whereas locally they have been warming a bit due to warmer air riding in. However, and it is always the big 'however', you can often see cold air get 'stuck' in the valleys or in some of those sheltered areas by the Berkshires and the Worcester hills. On a day like today, it isn't going to matter (because we're all cold), but at some other time, it could mean the difference between a plain rain event and a dangerous ice-storm. The 'Current Temperature' Map really shows a nice relative warming of temperature, with colder air just stuck inside the Pioneer Valley.

9 AM - In a storm like this, where it will occupy a large part of the day, it's a good idea to check out the CBS 3 Springfield 'Forecast Center'...Here maps are updated periodically with the forecast, and you can have access to great information right at your fingertips, a bit more in-depth. Forecast High Temperatures are not expected to crest much higher than 28-degrees, so we're going to stay all snow with this one...As the 'Current 24-hour Snowfall Forecast' map indicates...many computer models derive the most snow to fall along and south of the Mass Pike. The 'Current 24-hour Precipitation Forecast' map normally indicates computer-derived rainfall estimates, but it works well to guage liquid equivalency for snowfall also. When snow falls to the ground, each snowflake contains less total water than a raindrop (which obviously isn't rocket science)...But with a given temperature, the snow can have more or even less moisture in it, such that a particular snow event can fluff up a whole lot of snow from relatively little moisture. The normal ration is 10" of snow for every 1" of melted down water (hence the term 'liquid equivalence'). Now, in our ''Weather Classroom' Page, where we put just about more than you can stand to know about the inner workings of meteorology, there's also some handy-dandy weather charts. One of them is the "Liquid Water/Snow Equivalent Chart". Along this chart, given the current temperature in the mid-upper teens...Just .1" of liquid precipitation (if falling all as snowflakes), can mount up 2.0" of snow on the ground. It's pretty easy to see in situations such as these how the roads can fluff up with snow quickly from such a meager amount of moisture.

Keep in mind as the storm progresses, we'd love to here from YOU! You can take a picture of the snow with your camera, or even cell phone, and send it into us. We'd love to see how folks are dealing with it all. Also, if you have seen anything note-worthy with the weather directly overhead...or made a quick measurement...email or text us with the good word. It's invaluable the kind of reports we get from all places, as it helps shape a full perspective of the weather around us. As always, for your benefit we run a live-updating 'Storm Closings' page which attempts to give you a heads-up on what may be changing plans...And you can tune in to our 24/7 Online Weather Stream "Weather Now" to see always updating, useful weather information on your computer screen.

8 AM - Current 'Hourly Roundup' found on our Current Conditions page shows that snow has spread (and is now being reported) at all stations in Western Massachusetts. With the temperatures in the teens, it has begun sticking to the ground immediately. It's the fluffy kind at this point...which will probably allow it to appear to accumulate quickly, even though the moisture content required for the snow will be relatively low. You can check out some of the road conditions by looking at the various Weather Web Cams, viewable on our Downtown Northampton (keep it slow).

As far as the storm is concerned, it really is just starting...The latest '3 Hour Pressure Change' map shows what's happend from an air pressure standpoint. Storm systems have low pressure, and the lowest pressure represents the center of the storm itself. So, meteorologically, as long as the pressure is still falling, the storm is 'still arriving'.

7 AM - Snow is starting to spread across the area...As indicated by the Current Radar. At this point, it is on the light side of things, but admittedly a little earlier than expected. Hopefully the morning commute shouldn't be too bad, but it won't be a picnic on the evening side for sure. Current Temperatures all show some pretty cold weather in place, so there's no worry for a change-over with this one.

Keep in mind that you too can send us Weather Reports via email any time you like, as well as any weather pictures you take. We appreciate both, as it helps communicate better weather for the whole area, even places that are difficult to get to. Also, we have our 24/7 Weather Now online stream constantly updating maps and conditions across the area. If you're interested in Storm Closings for tomorrow, it's right at the front of our website, just by going here.

First Word - A classic 'noreaster is on our plate, but only 'classic' in storm track. It has a few oddities to it (as seemingly every storm does). This system will not have a deep central pressure, normally expected of these coastal storms. It will only peak in intensity for a few hours, though be rather prolonged through 12-16 hours. You can think of this particular storm instead as a focus point, where decent amounts of energy and moisture will be channeled in and spent overhead, much like a series of conveyor belts. This also is a storm that appears to have the Mass Pike in it's sights more than the mountains and ski country (that is more representative of the 'coastal storm'). Nevertheless, a good ball-park number for expected snow is around 6", though there's a lot of confidence for double-digit accumulations to be reported with this one too.