Freezing Rain Sunday Night Will Lead To Icy Conditions Across Western & Central Mass

For Tonight: Clear skies can be expected throughout tonight with low temperatures between 10 and 15 Degrees. Winds will be West at 6 to 12 mph.

Sunday: A sunny start to the day can be expected on Sunday, however, clouds will be on the increase during the afternoon hours as a low pressure system approaches us from the Great Lakes.

High temperatures will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be West at 6 to 12 mph.

Freezing Rain Is Expected On Sunday Night Which Will Change To All Rain During The Day On Monday: An area of low pressure is expected to track across the Great Lakes region during the day on Sunday before it moves across southern Canada on Sunday night and Monday. This storm system has the potential of producing freezing rain with icy conditions during Sunday night, especially if cold air can hang on across the region. Any freezing rain will change to rain during the day on Monday as temperatures rise to above freezing.

Freezing rain is expected to overspread the entire area between about 8 pm and 10 pm Sunday evening. This freezing rain is expected to continue for quite a few hours during the overnight hours of Sunday night. This freezing rain is likely to produce some icy conditions across the entire area, especially on untreated surfaces. My recommendation to you is to avoid travel on Sunday night, if you can as things will very likely be very slippery. If you have to travel on Sunday night, use extreme caution.

One thing that I wanted to mention about Sunday night’s freezing rain event – My past experience is that when you have a fresh snow cover on the ground this time of year (like we do now) in the middle of the night, the freezing rain is very likely to hang on much longer than usual. Because of this, I don’t think that we’ll flip to just rain until sometime on Monday morning. Because of this, I do think that ice amounts of one tenth of an inch (0.10”) to one quarter of an inch (0.25”) seems most probable. Not enough to bring down trees or power lines, but it is certainly enough to produce some very icy conditions.

The freezing rain will change to rain during Monday morning from south to north across the region. The last areas that will change from freezing rain to rain may be across the northern Worcester Hills and parts of the Connecticut River Valley where the freezing rain may wait to change to rain until late Monday morning. Periods of rain is then expected during Monday afternoon across the entire area as temperatures rise into the mid and upper 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. Windy and cold weather is expected for both Monday night and Tuesday. Low temperatures Monday night will be around 20 Degrees. High temperatures Tuesday will be between 25 and 30 Degrees. West to Northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40-45 mph can be expected throughout Monday night and Tuesday.

7:30 pm Friday Evening Weather Update On Tonight's Snow Across Western & Central Mass

Radar imagery and weather reports indicate that snow has begun across the Berkshires & it'll be snowing in the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass by about 8 pm. Across Central Mass, I expect that snow will begin between about 8:30 and 10 pm.

Warning For Those Of You Across Western Mass - Heavy snow with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour will develop very shortly after it begins snowing across all of Western Mass. This heavy snow may extend as far east as Ware, Palmer, Monson, Brimfield, Wales and even Sturbridge. These heavy snowfall rates will very quickly lead to very poor travel conditions as plow crews will have a tough time keeping up with the quick accumulation of snow on roads, as well as very low visibilities in heavy snow. Because of this, my recommendation is to stay off of roads between about 8 pm and midnight if you are anywhere across Western Mass, as well as those on the Mass Pike as far east as Sturbridge. The snow is expected to lighten up considerable in intensity by midnight with light snow continuing during the after midnight hours.

For Central Mass: While the snow will be less intense in how quick it falls, I do expect light to moderate snow once it begins across Central Mass with this moderate snow lasting until about midnight. Because of this, slick travel will be likely across Central Mass & caution is advised if you are out and about.

All snow is still expected to come to an end around sunrise Saturday morning.

I have no changes at all to how much I am expecting in terms of snow totals tonight. I have attached the snowfall map I created earlier this afternoon to this post.

Snow Is Expected Tonight Across Western & Central Mass; Freezing Rain Late Sunday Night Into Early Monday Morning Changes To All Rain During Monday (Issued: Early Friday Afternoon 12/26/2025)

Snow Is Expected Tonight: An area of low pressure is expected to dive southeastward from the eastern Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic coastline during tonight. This low pressure system is expected to produce snow across all of Western and Central Mass throughout tonight. The highest snow totals of 6 or more inches are expected across Western Mass with lower snow amounts expected across Central Mass. It should be noted that a period of heavy snow is expected to occur across Western Mass between 8 pm and midnight with snow rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour expected. This means that travel conditions this evening across Western Mass will likely be quite poor due to low visibility in heavy snow & rapid accumulation of snow on roads.

So, let’s break it down some more:

First, for Western Mass:

Snow is expected to begin across Western Mass between about 7 and 8 pm this evening and is expected to quickly become heavy in intensity. Heavy snow is then expected from about 8 pm until about midnight this evening with snow rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour expected. As I already mentioned, poor travel conditions can be expected from about 8 pm until about midnight this evening due to heavy snow.

The snow will then lighten up in intensity during the after midnight hours of tonight. All snow is expected to come to an end around sunrise Saturday morning.

For Central Mass:

Snow is expected to begin across Central Mass between about 8 pm and 10 pm this evening. The snow may be moderate in intensity at times for a couple of hours right after it starts. The snow is then expected to be light in intensity during the after midnight hours. All of the snow is expected to come to an end around Saturday morning.

My forecast snowfall total map for tonight’s snowfall is attached to this post.

Saturday: All of the snow should be done by sunrise Saturday morning and the rest of Saturday morning is expected to be cloudy. Skies will then become sunny during Saturday afternoon. High temperatures will be between 25 and 30 Degrees. Winds will be North to Northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: A sunny day is expected on Sunday with high temperatures around 35 Degrees. Winds will be West at 6 to 12 mph.

Freezing Rain Late Sunday Night Into Early Monday Morning Changes To All Rain During The Day On Monday: Another storm system is expected to track across northern New England during the day on Monday. The track of this storm system is such that we will be on the milder side of it & because of that, ice and then rain can be expected across the entire area starting late Sunday night and continuing through Monday.

Precipitation in the form of freezing rain looks to overspread the entire area by the predawn hours of Monday morning. This initial freezing rain may last through sunrise Monday morning before it changes to all rain during the mid and late morning hours of Monday. That being said, I do have concerns that the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass, the Berkshires and the northern Worcester Hills may remain freezing rain throughout all of Monday morning. Past experience with events like this have shown that freezing rain has lingered longer than what weather forecast guidance shows due to cold air remaining locked in place across Western Mass and across the northern Worcester Hills.

By Monday afternoon, I do think that it’ll be raining everywhere across Western and Central Mass as temperatures rise to around 40 Degrees.

Be aware that icy conditions are quite possible across the entire area from the predawn hours of Monday morning until mid-morning Monday and because of this, hazardous travel conditions can be expected. These icy conditions may hang on until midday Monday across the northern Worcester Hills, as well as across a large part of Western Mass.

I will be watching this storm closely and will have more updates throughout this weekend.