Some Light Snow Is Expected Tonight Across Western & Central Mass

For This Afternoon: A mixture of sunshine and clouds is expected for this afternoon as an area of high pressure very briefly controls the weather. High temperatures this afternoon will be between 30 and 35 Degrees. Tonight & Tuesday: An area of low pressure is expected to move across central New England tonight. Light snow is expected to develop across all of Western and Central Mass between about 9 pm and 10 pm this evening. On and off light snow is then expected to continue through the rest of the night tonight before coming to an end around sunrise Tuesday morning. Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are expected across the entire area tonight into early Tuesday morning. The snow tonight will be very light and fluffy and quite easy to shovel. A mixture of sunshine and clouds is expected to develop by Tuesday afternoon. Low temperatures tonight will be near 25 Degrees. High temperatures Tuesday will be near 40 Degrees. Tuesday Night Through Wednesday Night: Another area of high pressure will build into the area for Tuesday night and Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies are expected on Tuesday night with low temperatures near 15 Degrees. A sunny, cold and windy day is expected on Wednesday. High temperatures Wednesday will be between 20 and 25 Degrees. Northwest winds will gust up to 25 to 30 mph at times with wind chill temperatures near Zero. Clear skies with very cold and windy conditions are expected on Wednesday night. Low temperatures Wednesday night will be near Zero. Northwest winds will gust up to 25 to 30 mph at times with wind chill temperatures of 10 to 20 below zero. Thursday & Thursday Night: High pressure will continue to control the weather during Thursday and Thursday night. Sunny to partly sunny skies are expected on Thursday with high temperatures near 25 Degrees. Partly cloudy skies are expected on Thursday night with low temperatures near 20 Degrees. Friday: An Arctic cold front will push through the region on Friday bringing with it some snow shower activity during the afternoon. High temperatures Friday will be near 35 Degrees. A Significant, High Impact Winter Storm Is Possible From Friday Night Through Saturday Into Saturday Evening: An area of low pressure is expected to take shape near the North and South Carolina coast on Friday and then head northeastward on Friday night and Saturday. In addition, it looks possible that this low pressure could strengthen rapidly into a very intense storm system by the time it reaches the area near or just east of Nantucket by midday Saturday. All of the weather forecast guidance have trended towards a scenario that brings very significant winter weather impacts to Western and Central Mass on Saturday. With that said, there are still differences in the guidance in regards to the exact track of this storm system. These range from (1) A track that takes the low pressure system right over southern New England, which would lead to heavy snow changing to heavy amounts of freezing rain and sleet; (2) A low pressure track well offshore of the New England coast, which would lead to a more light to moderate snowfall and (3) A very powerful storm system near Nantucket on Saturday, which would lead to a very significant snowstorm with blizzard conditions on Saturday across the entire area. It needs to be emphasized that the ceiling for this storm is extremely high. The Bottom Line Is That while there is some increasing chance for a very significant winter storm on Saturday across all of Western and Central Mass, it is not even close to being a sure thing at this point. I will admit that while I am beginning to get excited for a full-blown big time snowstorm for Saturday, I also have to think rationally and skeptically & not end up being like Charlie Brown with the football. This means that realistically, there’s just as equal of a chance for a complete miss or a near miss that only brings light accumulations of snow as there is for a very significant winter storm that brings 1 to 2 feet of snow along with blizzard conditions. My recommendation for you is still to prepare for at least some snow accumulation that begins on Friday night and continues through all day Saturday and into Saturday evening. I am watching this potential storm extremely closely and will have frequent updates for you as needed.