Winter Storm Theseus Brings April Fools' Snow, Ice For Parts of the Northeast

Linda Lam
Published: March 31,2017
Winter Storm Theseus will bring a swath of accumulating snow and ice to parts of the Northeast through Saturday – a cruel April Fools' joke from Mother Nature.
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But this forecast calls for nothing like the epic April Fools' Day Blizzard that brought feet of snow to the region 20 years ago.
The National Weather Service has posted winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories across portions of New England, upstate New York and northeast Pennsylvania. Additionally, a freezing rain advisory is in effect for the Poconos.
The city of Boston is currently under a winter storm warning.

Winter Alerts

Already, 5.5 inches of snow had been measured in the town of Wells, New York, and 4.5 inches had accumulated in Heath, Massachusetts.

Current Radar, Temperatures, Conditions

Into Saturday, an area of low pressure will redevelop and intensify off the Northeast coast. This system will have plenty of moisture associated with it from the western Atlantic, which will bring moderate to heavy rain and snow to the region.
This low-pressure system is then expected to pull away from the Northeast by Saturday night.

An area of low pressure will develop off the Northeast coast, enhancing rain and snow late this week.

Enough cold air will be in place over interior New England and portions of upstate New York, for snow and some sleet accumulation to occur.
(MORE: This Was Your Coldest Temperature of Winter 2016-17)
Given the time of year and the onshore easterly wind expected, some parts of southern New England may see little to no accumulating snow because temperatures likely will remain above freezing. This may also help to minimize the impact on roads in many areas.
Some of the valleys of upstate New York may see a mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow.

Forecast Timeline

Saturday

• Precipitation will persist in New England and upstate New York before the low pulls away by Saturday night.
• Snow will continue to accumulate in western and southern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and eastern New York, with a mix of rain and snow in far southern and southeast New England.
• Rain is expected from Cape Cod into southern Connecticut, Long Island and northern New Jersey.
• Wind gusts over 50 mph are possible along the coast in southeast New England and eastern Long Island.
• FORECAST: Bangor, Maine | Nantucket, Massachusetts | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Burlington, Vermont

Saturday's Forecast

Minor coastal flooding is expected also occur during high tide early Saturday morning and again Saturday afternoon on the Jersey shore and in southeast New England.

How Much Snow Will Fall?

A broad swath from southern Maine into New Hampshire, Vermont, western, central and far northeast Massachusetts and the Adirondacks of upstate New York is expected to pick up at least 6 inches of snow from Theseus by late Saturday.
The heaviest totals, well over a foot of snow, are expected in the highest elevations of those areas.
These accumulations of wet, heavy snow could result in downed tree limbs, powerlines and power outages by Saturday.
Furthermore, the elevation at which snow is expected to fall will lower overnight into Saturday, which could result in some snow accumulation in some of the higher-population areas of southern New England, including parts of the Boston metro area.
There will likely be a large gradient in snowfall totals across metropolitan Boston from the south side (lighter) to the west and north sides (heavier).

Snowfall Forecast Through Saturday

Check back with weather.com for forecast updates as we get closer to this event.
(MAPS: Precipitation Forecast)
Some sleet and freezing rain accumulations are also possible, which could result in patchy accumulation of ice in some areas. The highest risk of ice accumulation is in the Worcester Hills, the east slopes of the Berkshires and the Poconos.
In areas where rain is the predominant precipitation type, rainfall amounts of up to 2 inches are possible. The greatest rainfall totals will likely be found toward the Northeast coast.

Snow Reports So Far

Here are selected snowfall reports through Friday evening:

• Connecticut: 0.5 inches in Norfolk
• Massachusetts: 4.5 inches in Heath
• New Hampshire: 4.6 inches in New Boston; 2.3 inches in Concord
• New York: 5.5 inches in Wells and Lake Desolation
• Vermont: 6.2 inches in Landgrove

April Fools' Day Blizzard Was 20 Years Ago

This snowfall in the Northeast will not be the first time for such an occurrence on April Fools' Day.
In 1997, heavy snow buried portions of central and southern New England into the Catskills of New York and the Poconos of Pennsylvania from March 31 to April 1.

Snowfall accumulation map from Mar. 31- Apr. 1, 1997.
(NOAA)

The low-pressure system moved over the Ohio Valley and than quickly intensified off the Northeast coast. This system moved slowly, which resulted in an extended period of heavy snow. Thundersnow was reported and snow fell at rates of up to 3 inches per hour.
It was a heavy, wet snow that was accompanied by strong winds. This damaged trees and brought down powerlines.
(MORE: Extreme Winter Storms That Struck in Spring)
After reaching a high of 63 degrees on March 30, Boston then saw 25.4 inches of snow during the storm. More than a foot of snow fell as far south as Providence, which measured 18.0 inches.
Worcester received 33.0 inches from this snowstorm. This set a record at the time for most snow in a snowstorm, but that record was broken with Winter Storm Juno in January 2015.
Snow totals of up to 3 feet were reported, including in Milford, Massachusetts, and East Jewitt, New York.

MORE: Winter Storm Stella, March 2017 (PHOTOS)

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