11 am Sunday Morning Winter Storm Update For Western & Central Mass

It is now snowing across all of Western and Central Mass at the time of this post. In fact, the snow is already coming down at a moderate to heavy intensity in the area from the Worcester Metro southward through the Mass Pike from Palmer through Sturbridge, Charlton and Auburn to Grafton. Please be aware that this isn't even the worst part of the storm yet.

Road conditions are already going downhill quick across the entire area. This includes the major highways such as the Mass Pike, I-84 and I-91. There have been reports already of vehicles sliding off of the road due to the slick conditions.

If you don't have to be out on the roads, it's best to just stay home safe and sound.

The snow is only going to increase in intensity from here on out. Snowfall rates between now and 3 pm will average from 1 to sometimes 2 inches per hour. This means that travel conditions will only get worse and worse on area roads. So, again stay home if you don't have to be out there.

THE WORST PART OF THIS STORM LOOKS TO BE FROM ABOUT 3-4 PM THIS AFTERNOON & ABOUT 1 AM MONDAY MORNING - Very to very heavy snow with snowfall rates of at least 2 to 3 inches per hour & a chance for some thunder snow is expected from about 3-4 pm this afternoon until about 1 am Monday morning.

This is when most of the snow that's expected with this storm will accumulate.

Travel conditions between 3-4 pm this afternoon and 1 am Monday morning will be extraordinarily difficult due to rapid snow accumulation on roads, extremely low visibility in heavy to very heavy snow & extremely hazardous travel conditions. In fact, some roads may be impassable. Travel should be avoided, if at all possible during this time period.

AS FOR SNOW TOTALS - I have no changes to my forecast snow totals with this storm. I have attached the snow map that I issued yesterday to this post, in case you didn't see it.

More updates will be posted as the storm unfolds.

10:30 pm Saturday Evening Update On The Incoming Major Snowstorm For Western & Central Mass

There are no changes to the forecast regarding the major snowstorm that's on the way for tomorrow, tomorrow night and Monday.

It still looks like snow will begin across all of Western & Central Mass between about 9 am and 11 am Sunday morning.

Once it starts snowing, the snow intensity should be light to moderate at first into the early afternoon hours of Sunday.

THE WORST PART OF THIS STORM WILL BE FROM ABOUT 4 PM SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO 1 AM MONDAY MORNING: Very to very heavy snow with snowfall rates of at least 2 to 3 inches per hour & a chance for some thunder snow is expected from about 4 pm Sunday afternoon until about 1 am Monday morning.

This is when most of the snow that's expected with this storm will accumulate.

Travel conditions between 4 pm Sunday afternoon and 1 am Monday morning will be extraordinarily difficult due to rapid snow accumulation on roads, extremely low visibility in heavy to very heavy snow & extremely hazardous travel conditions. Travel should be avoided, if at all possible during this time period.

My advice to you is to get off of the roads by about 3 pm & stay off of the roads while it's snowing extremely hard late tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. If you must travel, please use extreme caution.

The snow may actually stop for a few hours very late Sunday night before it begins snowing again during Monday morning. The snow will then continue through all of Monday afternoon before it comes to an end during the early evening hours of Monday night. Even though most of the snow will accumulate during late Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening, 2 to 3 inches or so of additional snow accumulation can be expected during the day on Monday.

FORECAST SNOW TOTALS: I have no changes at all to the forecast snow total map that I posted this afternoon & am attaching that forecast snow total map to this post.

My recommendation to you is that you need to be planning for a lot of snow with accumulations of at least 15 inches likely during Sunday, Sunday night and Monday. This winter storm will definitely impact any plans that you have on Sunday, Sunday night and Monday.

Additionally, this is going to be a very cold storm. Temperatures on Sunday will be between 15 and 20 Degrees. Temperatures on Sunday night will be between 10 and 15 Degrees and temperatures on Monday will be around 20 Degrees.

It still looks like winds will not be a big deal with this storm & because of this, blizzard conditions ARE NOT expected across Western & Central Mass. Some minor blowing and drifting snow is possible during Sunday night and Monday.

Winds on Sunday will be Northeast at 6 to 12 mph. Winds on Sunday night will be Northeast at 10 to 20 mph. Winds on Monday will be North at 10 to 20 mph.

Finally, power outages ARE NOT expected during this storm as the snow will be light, fluffy and powdery. Also, as I already mentioned, the winds during this storm will not be a big deal & thus will be nowhere near the velocity needed to bring down tree limbs and power lines.

As I mentioned in my afternoon post, this is going to be a humdinger of a snowstorm, but we are hale and hearty New Englanders. We have trudged through many big snowstorms before & even though this will be the biggest snowstorm in 4 years, we’ll tough this one out too. We’ve got this!!

More updates on this storm will be sent out, especially once the storm begins. So, keep checking back for the latest updates!!

A Humdinger Of A Winter Storm Will Dump 15 To 20 Inches Of Snow Accumulation Across Western & Central Mass From Sunday Through Monday

For Tonight: Partly cloudy skies are expected throughout tonight. Low temperatures will be between 1 below zero and 7 below zero. Winds will be Northwest at 6 to 12 mph.

A Humdinger Of A Winter Storm Is Expected From Sunday Through Monday: A coastal storm system is expected to bring heavy snow to all of Western Mass from Sunday through Sunday night and Monday. The worst part of this storm with heavy to very heavy snow producing at least 2 to 3 inch per hour snow rates & even a chance for thunder snow is expected from about 4 pm Sunday afternoon until about 1 am Sunday night.

A large amount of moisture and energy is expected to push up into Southern New England during the day on Sunday. As it does so, this moisture and energy will run into a dome of Arctic air & be lifted and squeezed out for every ounce its worth. This will lead to a big snowstorm occurring across all of Western and Central Mass from Sunday through Sunday night and Monday.

All of the ingredients continue to be there to support a major snowstorm across the entire area. This includes:

- A low pressure system that will track near or just east of Nantucket by Sunday night into Monday.

- An abundant amount of moisture, energy and forcing pushing over a very cold air mass into Southern New England.

- An Arctic air mass will produce a very light, fluffy and powdery snow that will have no problems accumulating quickly.

Here Are The Latest Details On How This Storm Will Impact Western & Central Mass: There are a couple of things that I wanted to mention.

The first is that it’s going to snow extremely hard between about 4 pm Sunday afternoon and about 1 am Sunday night as a very strong band of frontal forcing lifts northward & combines with excellent snow growth in the atmosphere. Snowfall rates of at least 2 to 3 inches per hour look very likely during this time period. Also, I also think some thunder snow is a distinct possibility during the 4 pm Sunday afternoon to 1 am Sunday night time period. Travel during this time period should be avoided, unless you absolutely have to go out. The snow accumulation on roads will be extremely rapid leading to snow plow crews not being able to keep up.

The second item that I wanted to mention is that some of the weather forecast guidance is hinting at a nose of milder air at the mid-levels of the atmosphere pushing northward during Sunday night. How far north this nose of milder air pushes northward remains to be seen, but I think that all snow across a large majority of Western and Central Mass seems most likely. The exception could be right along the Mass-Connecticut border & along the Mass-Rhode Island border where some sleet might mix in after the heaviest snow falls late Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening. Regardless, this is going to be a big snowstorm for everyone across Western and Central Mass.

Now, to detail out this storm for you:

Snow is expected to overspread all of Western and Central Mass during the mid and late morning hours of Sunday. The snow is then expected to continue through all of Sunday afternoon, all of Sunday night and all day Monday.

When Will The Worst Part Of This Storm Be: The worst part of this storm where there will be heavy to very heavy snow producing at least 2 to 3 inch per hour snowfall rates & a slight chance for thunder snow is expected from about 4 pm Sunday afternoon through all of Sunday evening until about 1 am Sunday night. This is when the bulk of our snow from this storm will accumulate. Travel between 4 pm Sunday afternoon and 1 am Sunday night will be extraordinarily difficult due to rapid snow accumulation on roads, extremely low visibility in heavy to very heavy snow & extremely hazardous travel conditions. Travel should be avoided, if at all possible during this time period.

The snow is then expected to continue through all day Monday and not come to an end until early Monday evening. Even though most of the snow will accumulate during late Sunday afternoon and Sunday night, 2 to 3 inches or so of snow accumulation can be expected during the day on Monday.

Forecast Snow Totals: Our latest snowfall forecast map for this storm is attached to this post.

My recommendation to you is that you need to be planning for a lot of snow with accumulations of at least 15 inches likely during Sunday, Sunday night and Monday. This winter storm will definitely impact any plans that you have on Sunday, Sunday night and Monday.

Additionally, this is going to be a very cold storm. Temperatures on Sunday will be between 15 and 20 Degrees. Temperatures on Sunday night will be between 10 and 15 Degrees and temperatures on Monday will be around 20 Degrees.

It still looks like winds will not be a big deal with this storm & because of this, blizzard conditions ARE NOT expected across Western & Central Mass. Some minor blowing and drifting snow is possible during Sunday night and Monday.

Winds on Sunday will be Northeast at 6 to 12 mph. Winds on Sunday night will be Northeast at 10 to 20 mph. Winds on Monday will be North at 10 to 20 mph.

Finally, power outages ARE NOT expected during this storm as the snow will be light, fluffy and powdery. Also, as I already mentioned, the winds during this storm will not be a big deal & thus will be nowhere near the velocity needed to bring down tree limbs and power lines.

We New Englanders are hale and hearty, we’ve toughed out many previous big snowstorms before & even though this will be the biggest snowstorm in 4 years, we’ll tough this one out too. We’ve got this!!

Many more updates will be sent out, especially once the storm begins. So, keep checking back for the latest updates!!