477  
FXUS61 KBOX 192111  
AFDBOX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOSTON/NORTON MA  
411 PM EST WED FEB 19 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A DISTANT OCEAN STORM WILL BRUSH THE FAR SOUTHEAST NEW ENGLAND COAST  
WITH SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. BREEZY AND  
COLD FOR FRIDAY WITH THE DEPARTURE OF A COASTAL LOW AND THE BUILDING  
HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM TO THE WEST. DRIER CONDITIONS AS WELL CONTINUES  
INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES. EARLY NEXT WEEK  
SIGNS OF SOME UNSETTLED CONDITIONS AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/
 
 
KEY MESSAGES...  
 
* VERY COLD WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPS TONIGHT.  
 
OUR DRY WEATHER CONTINUES OVERNIGHT THANKS TO A LINGERING RIDGE OF  
HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT LAKES. EXPECTING A GOOD  
AMOUNT OF CLEAR SKIES OVERNIGHT, THOUGH HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH  
THE OFFSHORE STORM WILL MOVE OVER THE SOUTH COAST. THIS MAY LIMIT  
RADIATIONAL COOLING A BIT BUT OVERALL A CLEAR, CALM NIGHT WILL ALLOW  
FOR TEMPS TO DROP WELL BELOW NORMAL, INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND LOW  
TEENS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGES...  
 
* A STORM PASSES WELL OFFSHORE BRINGING SNOW TO THE CAPE AND ISLANDS  
THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT.  
 
* MOST LIKELY SNOW ACCUMS...1-3" FOR THE CAPE/MVY & 2-5" FOR ACK  
 
THURSDAY A DEEP MID LEVEL TROUGH DIGS INTO THE GREAT LAKES  
APPROACHING THE NORTHEAST WHILE OUT AHEAD OF IT A SURFACE LOW PASSES  
WELL TO OUT SOUTHEAST, OUTSIDE OF THE 70/40 BENCHMARK. GUIDANCE HAS  
BEEN GENERALLY IN AGREEMENT THE LAST 48 HOURS OR MORE THAT THIS  
SYSTEM MERELY MAKES A GLANCING BLOW TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE  
NORTHERN EXTENT OF THE PRECIP SHIELD CLIPS CAPE COD AND ESPECIALLY  
THE ISLANDS AS THE NORTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW CAPTURES IT AND SWEEPS  
IT QUICKLY OUT INTO ATLANTIC CANADA. GLOBAL GUIDANCE HAS SHIFTED THE  
TRACK SLIGHTLY SOUTHEAST REDUCING ACCUMULATION AMOUNTS EVEN FURTHER,  
WHILE THE NAM CONTINUES TO BE OUT ON ITS OWN WITH MUCH HIGHER  
TOTALS. FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, WHILE THE NAM INDICATES AS MUCH AS 8  
INCHES OF SNOW FOR NANTUCKET EPS AND GEFS ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE SHOWS  
ONLY A 10-30% CHANCE OF EVEN SEEING 3 INCHES OF SNOW. THIS IS ON PAR  
WITH OTHER HI-RES GUIDANCE, SO THE FORECAST HAS BEEN BASED ON THESE  
MODELS. GENERALLY THINKING A 1 TO 3 INCH EVENT FOR CAPE COD IS  
POSSIBLE WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES FOR NANTUCKET BETWEEN SYNOPTIC FORCING  
AND OCEAN ENHANCEMENT THANKS TO NORTHERLY FLOW OVER THE RELATIVELY  
WARM WATERS. AIR TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY REACH THE UPPER 20S AND LOW  
30S ON THURSDAY. SNOW BEGINS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND COMES TO AN END  
BEFORE SUNRISE ON FRIDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARMER THAN THE  
PREVIOUS NIGHT, IN THE TEENS AND 20S.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
KEY MESSAGES  
 
* GRADUAL UPTICK IN TEMPERATURES BETWEEN FRIDAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK  
 
* PERIOD OF GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO 30 MPH ON FRIDAY AS A COASTAL  
LOW PASSES SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TO THE SOUTHEAST  
 
* DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH MONDAY BUT A COASTAL LOW MAY BRING  
ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION TUE/WED. LOW CONFIDENCE.  
 
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY  
 
A COASTAL LOW WILL BE DEPARTING THE SOUTH COASTAL WATERS EARLY  
FRIDAY AFTER DUMPING A FEW INCHES OF SNOW ON THE CAPE ISLANDS. DEEP  
NORTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPS BEHIND THE DEPARTING LOW SUPPORTING A  
COLD/DRY PATTERN THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEKEND. EXPECT  
CHILLY TEMPS ON FRIDAY WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 20S TO LOW  
30S. CAA PATTERN WILL SUPPORT A PERIOD OF GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ON  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE SUPPORTS A 25 TO 35 KNOT LOW-  
LEVEL JET BETWEEN 925 AND 850 HPA. THUS, SOME 30 MPH GUSTS ARE  
LIKELY ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
A MID-LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST ON SATURDAY WILL BEGIN  
AN UPWARD TREND IN TEMPERATURES THAT WILL CARRY THROUGH MONDAY. HIGH  
TEMPS IN THE MID 30S ON SATURDAY WILL CLIMB TO THE LOW 40S ON  
MONDAY. EXPECT DRY WEATHER AND MORE SUN THAN CLOUDS THROUGH THIS  
TIME FRAME. GENERALLY A QUIET WEEKEND ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY  
 
UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST GROWS SUBSTANTIALLY BY TUESDAY OF NEXT  
WEEK WITH MODELS TRYING TO RESOLVE THE TRACK OF ANOTHER COASTAL LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM. LATEST ENSEMBLES SUPPORT ANOTHER TRACK SOUTH AND  
EAST OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND, BUT CONFIDENCE IS VERY LOW AT THIS  
TIME RANGE. ADDITIONALLY, LOW PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BE DIGGING  
DOWN FROM CANADA WHICH MAY ALSO SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME  
UNSETTLED WEATHER. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY, WE HAVE LEANED ON THE NBM  
FOR POPS FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A 20-30 PERCENT CHANCE OF  
PRECIPITATION (FROZEN OR LIQUID) FOR TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
REMAIN ON THE MILD SIDE WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
NEXT WEEK. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /21Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE LEVELS:  
 
LOW - LESS THAN 30 PERCENT.  
MODERATE - 30 TO 60 PERCENT.  
HIGH - GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT.  
 
18Z TAF UPDATE...  
 
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE.  
 
VFR. NW WINDS GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KTS INTO EARLY AFTERNOON, BUT  
SUBSIDING TO LESS THAN 15 KTS BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.  
WINDS WILL DECREASE FURTHER TONIGHT BECOMING CALM/LIGHT FROM THE  
NW.  
 
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE.  
 
MAINLY VFR NEAR AND NORTHWEST OF THE BOSTON TO PROVIDENCE  
CORRIDOR. A PERIOD OF MVFR AND LOCALIZED IFR CONDITIONS DEVELOP  
THU AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THU NIGHT TOWARD THE CAPE AND  
ISLANDS. THIS A RESULT OF A DISTANT OCEAN STORM AND THE  
NORTHWEST EXTENT OF ITS SNOW SHIELD...WHICH SHOULD NOT GET TOO  
MUCH FURTHER NORTHWEST THAN THE CAPE COD CANAL...PERHAPS  
BRIEFLY GRAZING THE SOUTH COAST AND PARTS OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.  
 
KBOS TAF...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TAF.  
 
KBDL TAF...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TAF.  
 
OUTLOOK /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...  
 
FRIDAY: VFR. WINDY WITH LOCAL GUSTS UP TO 30 KT.  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY: VFR. BREEZY.  
 
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT: VFR.  
 
MONDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL MVFR POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS:  
 
LOW - LESS THAN 30 PERCENT.  
MEDIUM - 30 TO 60 PERCENT.  
HIGH - GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT.  
 
TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...HIGH CONFIDENCE.  
 
WINDS AND SEAS CONTINUE LOWER LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND DROP  
BELOW SMALL CRAFT THRESHOLDS ACROSS ALL OUR WATERS BY EARLY  
EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE THEN NOSES IN FROM THE WEST KEEPING WINDS  
BELOW SMALL CRAFT THRESHOLDS TONIGHT INTO THU.  
 
THURSDAY NIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE.  
 
A DISTANT OCEAN STORM WILL INTENSIFY AND ALLOW THE PRESSURE GRADIENT  
TO INCREASE. THIS WILL ALLOW NW WIND GUSTS OF 20-30 KNOTS TO DEVELOP  
AND SMALL CRAFT HEADLINES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR MOST OF OUR  
WATERS.  
 
OUTLOOK /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...  
 
FRIDAY: MODERATE RISK FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS WITH GUSTS  
UP TO 25 KT. SEAS UP TO 5 FT. CHANCE OF FREEZING SPRAY.  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT: LOW RISK FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS WITH  
GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS UP TO 5 FT. CHANCE OF FREEZING SPRAY.  
 
SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: WINDS LESS THAN 25 KT. SEAS LOCALLY  
APPROACHING 5 FT.  
 
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY: WINDS LESS THAN 25 KT.  
 

 
   
BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
CT...NONE.  
MA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 AM THURSDAY TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY  
FOR MAZ024.  
RI...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR ANZ255-  
256.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...BW/RM  
NEAR TERM...BW  
SHORT TERM...BW  
LONG TERM...RM  
AVIATION...BW/RM  
MARINE...BW/RM  
 
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