Now that the big storm is over, I am looking at why this was such a poor forecast. The basic reason was a bit more cold air than expected, more moisture and it lasted longer. No one expected so much snow to fall from 4 AM this morning until mid-afternoon. Storms usually need to be at roughly 40 degrees latitude and 70 degrees west longitude to give us a major snow event. Meteorologists around here call this the benchmark. If a storm passes near the benchmark, and it's cold enough, we are often in for a good snowstorm. This storm passed hundreds of miles further east than that typical spot for a major snowstorm. One of the reasons I was confident in not seeing this size snowstorm, was the predicted distance of the storm from our area. That prediction by the models turned out to be pretty good. Temperatures were also forecast to be about 4 degrees milder. As it turn out, it’s sort of a good thing it ended up being colder because heavy wet snow of these amounts would have been catastrophic to the power situation.I'll be updating my weather forecasts on Twitter at @growingwisdom please follow me there.

As I review the afternoon suite of data, the trend is for a slightly milder and weaker storm system for Saturday night and Sunday, in other words, no massive blizzard. We will certainly still have a storm to watch with some wind and accumulating snow, but we are not looking at a blockbuster system. I'll be updating the forecast regularly on Twitter at @growingwisdom please send me your reports there.

A rapidly developing storm to the south of New England will pass to the east of Cape Cod Sunday and then move into eastern Canada Sunday night. A difference of just 20 miles further east or west on the track of this storm will impact snow totals by several inches. I am forecasting Boston to get somewhere around 3 inches from this storm. If the storm passes closer to the coast, Boston would see over 6 inches of snow, a track a bit further east and the city is spared, with not more than a dusting. It still appears that the heaviest snow will stay east of the Cape Cod Canal. I suspect areas just south of Boston, closest to the water, could see several inches more snow than areas just 20 miles to the west. I'll be updating the snow situation on Twitter at @growingwisdom and feel free to send me a question.

Blizzard warnings are being taken down and conditions will continue to improve the rest of the day. The last of the snow bands is clearing the coast and the long process of cleaning up the snow will continue. I would not be surprise if some schools are delayed or cancelled Monday as sidewalks will not all be cleared by then. However, most of our lives will quickly get back to normal even with fewer parking spaces available for a while. The snow will start to settle on itself the next few days and with temperatures going above freezing it won't be quite so high by the end of the upcoming week. I don't see any major rain on the way which is also good news.

After a dusting, to a couple of inches of fluff yesterday, our weather will be relatively quiet much of this week. There is the chance for some light snow or flurries early Wednesday, but other than that things look tranquil into Friday. Perhaps you might be thinking the groundhog was right, but wait just a second. One weather model, of the many we use, is indicating a significant storm of rain or snow Friday. This week is of course the 35th anniversary of another big storm, so if nothing else it will be interesting to see how the weather models help us decide what will ultimately happen. I put a sample of the differences between the two models here for you to see. Notice how far south the storm is on one model and how close it is on the other. I am leaning towards a non-event and I will be updating my forecast on Twitter at @growingwisdom Please follow me there.

Most of the accumulating snow is now over and the rest of the night will feature periods of light snow, sleet or freezing drizzle. Untreated surfaces will remain slippery and drivers should be careful on secondary roads. There will be some minor icing after the snow leaving a crusty coating. Freezing rain is the great equalizer when it comes to driving. You can have the biggest and best four-wheel drive machine in the world, but it’s not going to do you any good on ice. If roads become icy then they lose friction and that is what keeps you from sliding around.I'll be updating the situation on Twitter at @growingwisdom feel free to comment or post a question there.

Frigid, brutal, bone chilling, dangerous, all words we are hearing this morning with regard to the cold. The truth is that the cold the next couple of days is the strongest we have seen in a couple of years, but it’s not record breaking or even that severe. As a matter of fact, after this round of cold we are seeing departs, we still will not have experienced the average number of days below zero we saw in the past. Last year, the USDA redid the growing zones for our area. Even with the new zone map, our current cold is still about ½ a zone warmer than the new map would predict. This means that marginally hardy plants, that are sensitive to the cold, shouldn’t show much if any damage from this cold snap.I''ll be updating the cold and potential snow Friday night on Twitter at @growingwisdom ask me a question or leave a comment there. Hope to hear from you.

We knew this would be a difficult forecast and it proved to be very true. Last night, as the latest computer models were arriving, I quickly noticed a trend to keep the heavy snow offshore. This meant that the heavy snow that was possible for some of you, wasn't going to happen. Across southern New England the heaviest ended up being the outer parts of Cape Cod and some southern areas of the south shore. For example Welleleet will put 4.5 inches of snow in the record books from this storm. The highest amount I have seen reported was West Tisbury on the Vineyard at 5.5 inches.

I'll was updating throughout the night on Twitter at @growingwisdom I will be updating Friday's storm on Twitter over the next few days.

After some snow yesterday, this morning finds us mostly sunny and typically cold for January. Actually, this afternoon temperatures will still be a bit milder than you might expect, rising into the lower 40s. A cold front is to our west right now and I drew a line on the map below to show where this front is located. Like most cold fronts, the weather behind the front gets colder. As the front pushes through the area today colder air will rush in and by tomorrow morning many of you will be 20 degrees colder than this morning. Highs tomorrow, unlike today, will be below average and remain in the 20s. A storm will also threaten Cape Cod and points south overnight riding just ahead of this front. This means some snow is possible in those areas for a few hours late tonight before clearing tomorrow. I will be updating the forecast frequently and I will answer any of your questions on Twitter at @growingwisdom

Here we go full tilt into winter, well maybe not full tilt yet, but we are headed for big changes. Although this is going to be a small storm, after nearing 60F Monday and now having accumulating snow in the forecast, this will be quite the shock. The front that pushed the warm air out to sea is now south of New England. The problem is that the front, the dividing line between warm and cold air isn't that far away. The two competing air masses are going to spin up a small storm Tuesday night and Wednesday and bring some snow to New England. Right now a general 1-4 inch snowfall is likely. The exceptions to the snow will be the south coast, Cape Cod and perhaps into Boston where the air will too warm for the snow. I'll be updating the forecast and more on Twitter at @growingwisdom