I have no changes to the forecast I posted yesterday as the latest data supports my thoughts.
A significant to major winter storm is expected to affect parts of Western and Central Mass beginning on Wednesday night and continuing into the day on Thursday.
The unknowns that I wrote about yesterday have cleared up a bit & now it seems all data suggest we are looking at a pretty decent hit in terms of snow across the entire area.
An area of low pressure is expected to track somewhere between the Cape and Nantucket by midday Thursday and this will bring a significant to major snowfall to Western and Central Mass.
In addition, there is expected to be a large amount of moisture that will be riding over some very cold air thanks to a large high pressure system over Quebec, Canada. This means the atmosphere is going to produce heavy snow at times late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. It should be noted that ALL of the latest weather forecast guidance are now pointing at a significant to major snowfall for Wednesday night and Thursday.
Here Are My Latest Thoughts: Snow is expected to overspread Western and Central Mass between about 8 pm and 10 pm Wednesday evening. The snow is then expected to continue throughout Wednesday night and all of Thursday morning.
A period of heavy snow is expected from about 3 am to about 9 am Thursday morning. Snowfall rates upwards of 2 inches per hour are possible during this time frame.
The snow will gradually come to an end from west to east during Thursday afternoon.
In addition to the snow, north to northeast winds are expected to gust up to 20 to 30 mph at times during Wednesday night and Thursday leading to the snow to blow and drift in some areas.
Also, this is going to be a “cold” storm with temperatures remaining in the 20 to 25 Degree range throughout the storm. This also means that this will be a light and fluffy snow.
I think the lowest snow amounts of 4 to 8 inches can be expected along and north of Route 2, however, based on the latest data closer to 8 inches should be expected.
The highest snow amounts of 12 to 16 inches can be expected near and south of the Mass Pike. It should be noted that based on the latest data, amounts closer to 14 to 16 inches should be expected.
You can find my latest forecast snow total map for this storm attached to this post.
I continue to watch this storm extremely closely and will have additional updates as needed.