70 Degrees and a Winter Storm Watch? In New England, Yes

The bizarre one-two punch is par for the course up here.


Forecast screenshots via NWS Boston/Twitter

Considering the downright beautiful weather outside in Boston on Wednesday, you’d be forgiven for not looking at your phone at all. Days like these in the middle of winter call for soaking up some rays, taking long walks in the park, and giving your devices a rest for once.

But if you happened to peek at a weather app at some point during that time, you’d find a pretty astonishing combination: temperatures in the upper 60s (a record 69 degrees in Boston, and as high as 71 in Hartford) right next to a winter storm watch.

That’s because, this being New England, this brief fling with springlike conditions will be followed almost immediately by a sharp U-turn: On Friday, Boston is expected to get as much as a foot of snow.

We won’t have to wait long for winter’s return. Overnight, temperatures are expected to plummet by as many as 40 degrees.

This devilish combo has not gone unnoticed around here. “New England” was briefly trending on Twitter Wednesday as even the most seasoned locals found themselves gawking at the abrupt change of pace this week has in store. For instance:

One person even reported seeing an absurdly New England sight at Old Orchard Beach in Maine: recently removed snow shoes nestled in the sand.

But such is life in this part of the world. Maybe it’s time we replace the Gregorian calendar with this one, once and for all.