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Weather forecast: Near-record warmth Wednesday, snowstorm Thursday

AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO | Islanders should get ready to dig, according to the National Weather Service, by late Thursday afternoon.
AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO | Islanders should expect to dig, according to the National Weather Service, by late Thursday afternoon.

Get ready for a wild week of weather.

According to the National Weather Service, record or near-record warmth is coming to the East End Wednesday, with temperatures nearing 60 degrees. But that weather will quickly shift. Temperatures are expected to plummet overnight and a snowstorm could dump 6 to 10 inches on the Island leading to a messy Thursday morning commute.

“When the cold air tries to fight, you sometimes get a ribbon” of snow, said meteorologist Jay Engel at the National Weather Service’s station in Upton. “Storms like to develop along frontal boundaries. It happens, especially in the late winter.”

Current forecasts show a high temperature of 58 degrees for Wednesday. If the forecast holds, it would fall just short of the record of 59 degrees, set in 2009.

A cold front will then move through the area, dropping temperatures in the evening and overnight, Mr. Engel said. Snow will begin to fall on the East End about 6 a.m., forecasts show.

“It should be snowing pretty good by the morning commute,” Mr. Engel said.

Snow will continue throughout the day, ending by about 3 p.m. in the afternoon. A more updated forecast is expected as the storm gets closer. A winter storm watch is in effect from late Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

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