World and Nation

Thought winter was over? April Fools!

3835 weather
Situation for Noon Eastern Time, Friday, April 1, 2011

Although spring officially started more than 10 days ago, we have not yet quite escaped the grasp of wintry weather. A nor’easter storm coming up the coast will bring a mix of snow and rain as well as blustery winds and chilly temperatures today, making for a rather miserable first day of April. The wintry mixture began yesterday evening, and it will intensify as the center of the storm passes over eastern Massachusetts. The heaviest precipitation will likely fall as rain this morning, but rain and snow could continue to fall all day, potentially putting a damper on the Red Sox’s scheduled opening day.

Of course, this is not the first time that New England has gotten a glimpse of winter on April Fool’s Day. On this day in 1997, 25.4 inches of snow were recorded at Logan Airport in what came to be known as the April Fool’s Day Blizzard. However, nothing like that is expected today, as temperatures will hover in the mid to upper 30s°F all day, thereby precluding any significant snow accumulations.