Mother Nature to Seacoast: It’s Still Winter

Temperatures will get into the low 60s on Wednesday, but the calendar still says February. Up to a foot of powdery snow is expected to fall on Friday.

We'll get another tease of spring with the above normal temperatures and skies this afternoon, but that will all change tonight.

"Temperatures are going to drop off a cliff this evening. We're going to shed 40 degrees overnight," National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Pohl in Gray, Maine told Seacoast Current.

Much colder temperatures in the 30s on Thursday will set the stage for snow to develop in the early hours of Friday, as a storm approaches the southern New England coast. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the entire Seacoast late Thursday night until late Friday night.

A Boring Snowstorm

Confidence is high in the storm's track, which Pohl called a typical late February snowstorm. There's no concerns about rain/snow lines or warm air entering the system.

"I hate to say it but it's not exciting. It's just a normal snowstorm. There's nothing out of the norm with this system," Pohl said.

Pohl expects an inch or two on the ground by sunrise Friday morning, with snow falling throughout the day. When the snow winds down Friday evening, Pohl expects a total accumulation of 8-12 inches for much of central and northern New England.

"The good news is that it looks like it will be all snow," Pohl said, adding that it won't be too dry or too heavy.

Warm Temperatures Not a Factor

The warm weather on Wednesday will be negated by Thursday's cold temperatures, and will not affect how the snow accumulates on pavement.

"Everything that's been melting will freeze up again. On the rivers we should see the ice movement stop, so ice jamming should come to hopefully an end during the overnight hours Thursday," Pohl said.

Melting ice can bunch up and possibly lead to rapid flooding in rivers.

Another period of quiet weather will follow the storm for the next week, except for a weak clipper system that may have some snow in the mountains on Sunday morning.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH