The Right Weather preliminary snow forecast ranges from a relatively minor 1-4″ event to a moderate 3-8″ event, with some locally higher amounts possible in E MA. At a minimum, the storm should hang around long enough to have an impact on the early-morning commute Tuesday. If the Norlun trough sets up farther south than forecast, then off and on snow will continue through most of the day Tuesday – especially in E MA. It will be cold Tuesday, with highs in the 20s.
With a fresh snowpack on the ground and Arctic air continuing to filter into the Northeast, Tuesday night may be the coldest in a couple of years with lows near or below zero inland, and in the single digits all the way to the coast. Highs will only be in the low to mid teens Wednesday afternoon – more than 20 degrees colder than normal. The frigid, dry weather will stay in Southern New England through Thursday night. Highs are unlikely to reach 20 degrees again on Thursday. A storm running into the Arctic air late next week may bring another round of accumulating snow to Southern New England. It is too early to talk specifics, but another plowable snow is certainly possible Friday and/or Saturday. There is no doubt, this will be the harshest week of winter weather Southern New England has seen so far this season.