Heavy downpours and strong, gusty winds will taper to showers and a much lighter breeze by mid to late Wednesday afternoon in Southern New England. 1-1.5″ of rain is likely in parts of CT, RI and MA as a storm moves over Southern New England.
Winds at the Southern New England coast will gust over 40 mph, and some minor coastal flooding is possible at the time of high tide on Wednesday morning. Enough cold air should hang on in the mountains of W MA and Northern New England for at least 6″ of snow to pile up. Some of the highest elevations and ski resorts will receive more than a foot of snow.
The storm will slowly drift east over the next couple of days, and rain showers will gradually turn to snow showers in Southern New England by Thursday night or Friday. The temperature will drop into the low to mid 30s inland Wednesday night, with some patchy mist, drizzle and fog. Black ice is possible early Thursday away from the coast. Thursday looks relatively mild, with highs in the mid to upper 40s in the Coastal Plain. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and some passing rain showers are likely.
As the storm gets offshore Thursday night, colder air will move in from the north. A change from rain showers to snow showers is likely from north to south. A minor snow accumulation is possible by Friday morning, especially in the higher terrain of NW RI and Worcester County. Snow showers and flurries will linger on Friday, with highs in the mid to upper 30s.
The weekend looks mainly dry. Both days will be partly cloudy. It should be a few degrees warmer on Saturday than on Sunday. Highs will be in the low 40s Saturday, and around 40 on Sunday.
