Life-Threatening Blizzard Poised to Strike New England

A life-threatening and historic blizzard that could rank among the top 10 snowstorms on record in southern New England is poised to plaster the region this weekend with snow that will be measured in feet rather than inches. The storm could also cause major coastal flooding and produce hurricane-force wind gusts, forecasters said.  At times, this storm is expected to deliver snow at rates of 2-to-3 inches per hour, with thundersnow a distinct possibility according to the National Weather Service said.

(from The Onion)

As was the case when Hurricane Sandy struck in late October, sea-surface temperatures are running several degrees above average off the East Coast, which according to climate scientists may reflect both natural climate variability and the effects of manmade global warming. The presence of unusually warm waters could aid in the rapid development of the storm system, and infuse it with additional moisture, thereby increasing snowfall totals.

Heavy precipitation events in the Northeast, including both rain and snowstorms, have been increasing in the past few decades, in a trend that a new federal climate report links to manmade global climate change. As the world has warmed, more moisture has been added to the atmosphere, giving storms additional energy to work with, and making precipitation extremes more common in many places. The last major snowstorm to strike southern New England was the unusual Halloween snowstorm in 2011.

This storm also comes 35 years to the day after the infamous 1978 blizzard paralyzed New England under more than 2 feet of snow. I was stuck in a Greyhound bus between New York and Boston during that storm, and wound up walking over a mile down a deserted Mass. Pike in the snow and climbing a fence to cross the Amtrak tracks to get back home to my apartment in Brighton.