Spring roller coaster of weather conditions begins

 Bluebird and cold late March weather conditions will continue through early Friday at Mad River Glen and then a very typical spring roller coaster of weather conditions commences and should continue through the first week of April. There are signs of another wintry period and possibly some snowfall during the 2nd full week of the month but it should be pointed out that the climatology wall is getting taller and taller making the odds of attaining deep, powdery snowfall steeper. 

The early sunshine on Friday is expected to give way to clouds and some precipitation, almost all of which should occur after the ski day. I did a double take and was somewhat surprised to see that a brief period of accumulating snowfall is indicated Friday afternoon, but this is a very strong push of mild air and that precipitation should change to rain around or just before it gets dark Friday evening. Now I've been watching Saturday closely because temperatures and dewpoints are supportive for some serious snow softening, but it would sure help to clear out the rain and it looks like we will after 11 AM or thereabouts. Temperatures will start Saturday in the low 40's with terrible visibility, but temperatures will warm into the 50's, the visibility will improve and the cloud ceiling should lift as the day progresses into the afternoon.  I expect we get  several hours of dry weather later in the day but also expect some gusty winds up over 30 mph. Chilly weather returns for Saturday night along with a bit of wet weather which will then become wet snowfall.  All of this weather will clear out very early on Sunday though temperatures on the mountain will likely be stuck just below the freezing mark. 

It appears Monday, April 3rd is a milder version of Friday with cold weather and sunshine to start, milder near 50-degree temperatures and clouds to finish with the possibility of some rain later in the day. Much of the middle of the week looks cloudy, above freezing and we can expect an interval or two of rain not to be confused with continuous rain. I should emphasize the point that this appears to be the longest stretch of thawing temperatures so far in this early part of the spring season. Colder weather can be expected for the end of the week along with a return of some sunshine. I've seen some models advertise some wet snow for the 2nd full weekend of April but I think there is more wintry weather potential in the period between April 10th and 13th. Looks like we get a decent PNA surge in this time frame setting the stage for a colder weather surge in eastern North America. Those holding out hope for a late season snow event should keep an eye on this period more than any other.