8:15 pm Monday Evening Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

A strong cold front is making its way through the region as I post this.

A band of snow showers are accompanying this front and these snow showers have set up right along the Mass Pike from the Berkshires eastward through the Springfield Metro all the way to about Sturbridge. These snow showers are generally light in intensity & will likely impact the rest of the Mass Pike northward to about the Route 9 and I-290 corridors over the next hour or so.

Additionally, temperatures are now falling into the middle 30s across the region and will likely fall to below freezing within the next hour or so. Because of this, any untreated wet surfaces will likely become icy and any leftover slush will become a frozen mess. Watch out for black ice if you are out and about this evening. This includes even stepping outside on your deck or stairs as those will likely be icy as well.

As I mentioned earlier, it is expected to become quite windy during the overnight hours of tonight with these very windy conditions continuing through all day Tuesday. West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph are expected during the overnight hours of tonight. During Tuesday, expect West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph. These windy conditions will probably bring down some tree limbs and power lines leading to isolated power outages.

Early Monday Afternoon Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

The moderate to heavy rain that's occurring across the region right now will end over the next hour or two.

Once the rain ends, we will be awaiting a strong cold front, which will likely push through the area by early this evening. This front will bring with it a few snow showers & more importantly a rapid drop in temperatures during early this evening. Temperatures look to fall to below freezing by early this evening & then fall quickly through the 20s and into the teens during the overnight hours.

My recommendation to you is that if there is any slush or standing water in your driveway, try to remove it before early this evening because it's going to freeze up solid. Also, untreated surfaces will likely become slippery by early this evening as temperatures fall below freezing. If you are out and about after about 7-8 pm this evening, use caution because black ice will be a hazard across the entire area.

It is also going to be quite windy during tonight and especially on Tuesday. West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph can be expected throughout tonight. During Tuesday, I expect West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50-plus mph. Some downed tree limbs and power lines are possible leading to some isolated power outages.

Freezing Rain With Icy Conditions Are Expected Tonight Across Western & Central Mass (Issued: 3:10 pm Sunday Afternoon 12/28/2025)

An area of low pressure is expected to track across the Great Lakes region tonight and then push across southern Canada during Monday. Milder air aloft will move over a sub-freezing surface leading to several hours of freezing rain across the entire area during tonight. Temperatures are then expected to rise to above freezing by Monday leading to any freezing rain to change to rain.

Freezing rain is expected to begin across Western Mass by about 8 pm this evening and then begin across Central Mass by about 9 pm or so this evening. Once the freezing rain begins, it is expected to last throughout the rest of tonight. This freezing rain is likely to produce some very icy conditions across the entire area, especially on untreated surfaces. My recommendation to you is to avoid travel during tonight, if you can as things will very likely be very slippery. If you have to travel tonight, I urge you to use extreme caution.

I do think that the cold air near the ground will be very stubborn and tough to scour out. The reason for this is that we have a fresh snow cover on the ground and when this occurs this time of year, the freezing rain usually hangs on much longer than usual. Because of this, I don’t think that we’ll flip to just rain until sometime on Monday morning.

In terms of ice amounts tonight, I do think that we’ll see somewhere between one tenth of an inch (0.10”) and one quarter of an inch (0.25”) of ice tonight. While this is not enough ice to bring down trees or power lines, it is more than enough to produce some very icy conditions & some very slippery roads.

The freezing rain will change to rain during Monday morning from south to north across the region. Areas near and south of the Mass Pike look to change from freezing rain to rain as early as just before sunrise Monday morning while areas in the northern Worcester Hills and parts of the upper Pioneer Valley may not change from freezing rain to rain until mid or late morning on Monday. Periods of rain is then expected during Monday afternoon across the entire area as temperatures will be in the 40s.

Once that storm moves towards Atlantic Canada on Monday night and Tuesday, it’ll pull down some cold air on some gusty west and northwest winds. Because of this, any standing water or slush will quickly become a solid glacier by Monday evening as temperatures fall quickly into the 20s. This means that any slush that is not removed from parking lots or driveways will be a solid frozen mess by Monday evening. Additionally, any untreated surfaces will likely become quite slick during Monday evening and because of this, black ice will be a threat throughout Monday night.

Low temperatures on Monday night will be near 15 Degrees. High temperatures Tuesday will be between 25 and 30 Degrees. Winds on Monday night will be West at 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph. Winds on Tuesday will be West at 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph.