The holiday season has wound down, and we’re now facing the prospect of another lengthy New England winter ahead.
So far, fortune has smiled upon us. Truly severe winter conditions have not yet arrived. While we’ve experienced occasional cold snaps—notably a frigid Thanksgiving—they’ve been manageable. Since the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21, conditions have remained relatively mild, with New Year’s Day temperatures climbing to the mid-50s, providing pleasant conditions for outdoor activities like walking or jogging, despite gusty winds.
Yet we understand that Mother Nature typically reserves her most dramatic weather for later in the season. Recent years have brought winter storm Nemo in February of 2013, the Snowmageddon winter of 2015 (which saw no December snow), and last year’s destructive storms in early January and early March that caused widespread power outages and unprecedented coastal flooding in bayside communities throughout the region.
The sight of Boston Harbor inundating the Seaport District and water rushing into the Aquarium T stop represented something unprecedented in our lifetimes as area residents—surpassing even the Blizzard of ’78 and the No Name Storm of 1991. Those two storms last year produced the highest-ever high tide (exceeding the Blizzard of ’78) and the third-highest tide ever recorded in Boston Harbor.
Currently, the 10-day forecast looks favorable, particularly for early January. Nevertheless, long-range models suggest that February will bring colder, snowier, and stormier conditions than normal for our region.
Any seasoned New Englander recognizes that we must approach winter day by day and appreciate the pleasant days we receive. When it comes to weather, particularly in our current era of climate change, we remain subject to Mother Nature’s unpredictability.
We may hope for favorable conditions, yet we should prepare for the worst.