Spring rains are on the way

2012-04-20 17:36:42.000 – Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist

Summer Mode

The erstwhile springtime rainfall is well on its way!

We left the summit last shift in a Snow Cat, with over a foot of snow on the ground, and widespread drifts in excess of 4-5 feet.

But upon our return on Wednesday, as Brian mentioned in his comment yesterday, we made it all the way to the summit in a 4-wheel drive van without chains! Very little snow had survived the 50+ degree temperatures that embraced Mt. Washington last week.

As a result, the landscape has once again returned to a summertime setting, with only a few patches of snow left around the summit. The first three days of our shift have boasted mild temperatures, relatively low winds, and clear conditions.

However, the forecast over the coming days looks much more interesting, and enough to alleviate, at least partially, the drought that has plagued most of New England over the recent months.A low pressure system looks to produce a mix of rain and snow on the summit over the weekend, with even a few thunderstorms possible!

Right behind this low, a second low will trudge up the coast on Monday, and, being fed by a very moist tropical air mass, dump A LOT of rain on Monday. It’s still far out into the future, but models have been very consistent over the past few days in predicting rainfall amounts in excess of 2-3 inches, possibly as high as 4 inches.

Break out the raincoats!

Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist