A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for most of interior Massachusetts by the National Weather Service office in Taunton, MA. The Watch extends into part of Northern New England and New York State. At this point, none of Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Southeastern MA are in the watch zone, but that can, and will most likely, change if the latest information available by midday Wednesday does not significantly change the projected track of the storm. The storm is scheduled to arrive Friday morning and last into Saturday morning.
Here is the text from the National Weather Service:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 418 AM EST WED FEB 6 2013 ...STRONG COASTAL STORM WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL POSSIBLE STARTING LATE THURSDAY NIGHT LASTING INTO SATURDAY MORNING... .A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OUT OF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST LATE THURSDAY AND PASS CLOSE TO THE BENCHMARK LATE FRIDAY. THIS STORM WILL EVENTUALLY HEAD OUT TO THE MARITIMES SOMETIME ON SATURDAY...HOWEVER EXACT TIMING IS STILL UNCERTAIN. ALTHOUGH THE TRACK OF THE STORM MAY SHIFT IN THE COMING DAYS...IT APPEARS THAT THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE WATCH AREA. THERE IS MODERATE CONFIDENCE THAT 6 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE. MAZ002>016-026-NHZ011-012-015-061730- /O.NEW.KBOX.WS.A.0002.130208T0600Z-130209T1200Z/ WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA- CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA-WESTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA- WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA- EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-WESTERN NORFOLK MA- SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA-SUFFOLK MA-EASTERN NORFOLK MA- NORTHERN MIDDLESEX MA-CHESHIRE NH-EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH- WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHARLEMONT...GREENFIELD...ORANGE... BARRE...FITCHBURG...FRAMINGHAM...LOWELL...LAWRENCE...GLOUCESTER... CHESTERFIELD...BLANDFORD...AMHERST...NORTHAMPTON...SPRINGFIELD... MILFORD...WORCESTER...FOXBORO...NORWOOD...CAMBRIDGE...BOSTON... QUINCY...AYER...JAFFREY...KEENE...MANCHESTER...NASHUA... PETERBOROUGH...WEARE 418 AM EST WED FEB 6 2013 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. * LOCATIONS...SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MOST OF MASSACHUSETTS EXCEPT THE COASTAL PLAIN...CAPE AND ISLANDS. * HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE. * ACCUMULATIONS...OF 6 INCHES OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE. * TIMING...BELIEVE SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN LATE THURSDAY NIGHT LASTING INTO SATURDAY. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT THE STORM MAY LINGERING INTO THE DAY ON SATURDAY. * IMPACTS...SNOW COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITIES FROM DRIFTING SNOW. * WINDS...NORTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS POSSIBLE. * VISIBILITIES...ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS POSSIBLE AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OF 6 OR MORE INCHES IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD...OR 8 OR MORE INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. ANYONE TRAVELING IN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO MODIFY TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD WINTER WEATHER DEVELOP. &&
