Update On This Afternoon & This Evening's Weather

As expected, temperatures are now falling into the 20s. Current temperatures include 25 Degrees at my home in Sturbridge, 23 Degrees in Worcester and 28 Degrees in Springfield. Temperatures are expected to continue to fall further to around 20 Degrees as we get into the early and mid-afternoon hours of today. In addition, freezing drizzle is expected to continue throughout this afternoon and the combination of well below freezing temperatures and freezing drizzle will lead to a continuation of very icy conditions right through this afternoon. Also, any standing water and slush will freeze over solid in the coming hours due to the well below freezing temperatures. As we get into this evening, an area of freezing rain, which may come down at a moderate to heavy rate at times, is expected to affect the entire area beginning by about 10 pm this evening. This freezing rain will last until just after midnight or so tonight. A quick one tenth (0.10”) of an inch of ice is likely to occur with this freezing rain. Once the freezing rain ends late tonight, it is expected that west to northwest winds will increase to 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph. These winds will remain strong all day Friday with northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 to 45 mph expected. These winds will have the potential to bring down tree limbs and power lines as they will be strained already due to ice buildup on these objects. This means that power outages are going to be a definite concern.