It looks like most of Southern New England will dodge the heavy snow and strong winds bullets this weekend. The storm is now forecast to develop a bit farther south than previously projected, and although there will still be some wintry weather, it should not match up with the storms of the past two weekends. Last weekend’s was windier than this storm will be, and the blizzard of two weeks ago was definitely snowier!
Saturday will be a mostly cloudy day with highs in the mid to upper 30s. Snow or a mix of rain/snow will develop from southwest to northeast by late in the day. If you have plans during the day, the weather should not be an issue. If some light snow or rain falls, it will not stick to the pavement with temperatures above freezing.
Notice in the storm timeline graphic how the temperature in the Providence area, and throughout most of Southeastern New England, stays at of above freezing during the storm. The best chance for accumulating snow is Saturday evening as the initial burst moves in. Even then, the road conditions should not be horrendous because of the marginal temperatures. Snow could accumulate on untreated surfaces, but the main roads should be ok if you have plans to be out Saturday evening.
Some mixed precipitation or rain is likely in many spots from the coast to Providence Saturday night into early Sunday. The biggest concern with the forecast is that the snow persists in N RI and interior MA. If 6″+ of heavy, wet snow accumulates, then some tree branches could come down. In areas that see a change to rain/mix, the precipitation may change back to light snow Sunday and linger off and on through Sunday night, but it will have a tough time accumulating because of the above freezing temperature during the day. Stick with rightweather.net for the latest on any last-minute changes regarding this fickle storm system.
