NORTHAMPTON — The Pioneer Valley will be affected by a strong coastal storm from Thursday night through Saturday.
“Today (Thursday) is absolutely beautiful, the calm before the storm,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson said.
The rain could change to heavy wet snow Friday afternoon. Higher elevations could see snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. In addition, 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected to fall on Hampshire County. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency issued a flood watch for the county on Wednesday that expires Saturday at 2 p.m.
“In this scenario, in the higher elevations north of Amherst we could get some pretty good snow,” Simpson said. “Rain and snow in this scenario is really hard to pinpoint at this time.”
Strong winds will begin early Friday morning, reaching sustained speeds of up to 20 mph, with gusts of up to 30 mph. During the peak of the storm late Friday afternoon, gusts as strong as 45 mph could fell trees or knock out power lines.
“If you’re traveling to the eastern part of the state it will be a much bigger impact,” Simpson said of the storm. “There will be much higher winds and be more prolonged.”
Sarah Robertson can be reached at srobertson@gazettenet.com