It seems like it has been a long time coming, but winter finally returns to Southern New England on Wednesday after a prolonged January thaw. The snow, mix, and rain on Wednesday is just the start of a very wintry pattern that is likely to last through the end of January – and possibly farther, but Right Weather Pro members know all about that.
Rain, sleet, and snow will arrive late Tuesday night, with a fairly quick change to snow in most places away from the immediate coast after some early raindrops and ice pellets at the onset. The snow will accumulate and make for a messy, and potentially slow, Wednesday morning commute. The steadiest precipitation is likely between 5am-9am, which coincides perfectly with the AM commute. A gradual transition from snow to mixed precipitation or rain is likely from the coast to near the I-95 corridor during the morning.
In most spots, this will happen after some snow accumulation, although it will probably be less than an inch near the coast. In the Providence and Boston Metro areas, there is the potential for a couple of inches of snow to accumulate before any mixed precipitation or rain enters the picture between 8am-10am. Farther inland, the steadiest precipitation from the storm will likely be mainly or all snow, and, as a result, this is where the highest snow amounts will be. Some spots may pick up 5-6″ in the highest terrain of Worcester County. The Right Weather snow forecast map has been tweaked to include slightly higher amounts in NW RI and Western Kent County.
This storm does not have blockbuster potential, and the updated Right Weather snow odds show that the Providence Metro Area is most likely to receive within 1″ of a 2″ snow total for the storm. Also, the odds of seeing more than 4″ of snow in the Providence area are low because the steadiest precipitation comes in a 4-6 hour burst, followed by much lighter precipitation by midday Wednesday that has a good chance of being something other than snow. See the graphics on page 2.
Any snow will taper to flurries, drizzle, mist, or light rain by early Wednesday afternoon. It will stay damp through the day, with some clearing at night. The temperature will climb into the mid to upper 30s in the afternoon, but it will not be enough to melt the snow in areas that see more than one inch. When skies clear late at night, the temperature will fall below freezing, and it is a good setup for some black ice to form on the sidewalks, driveways, and roads.
Thursday looks relatively quiet with a blend of clouds and sun and highs around 40. An ocean storm may brush eastern MA with some snow Thursday night. As it departs, much colder air will move in briefly on Friday. The temperature will not make it out of the 20s in most places on Friday. The weekend will start out with some seasonable weather on Saturday, but another cold front promises the coldest air of the season by Monday. Sunday will be the transition day as the cold air starts to barrel in on a strong northwesterly wind. It should be plenty cold and windy at Gillette Stadium if the front passes through by Sunday afternoon as currently projected.