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March Nor’easter: Updated storm timeline

Conditions are ripe in Southern New England for a moderate accumulation of wet, heavy snow overnight. While the snow won’t be as deep as some storms this winter, the weight of the snow will be heavier than usual due to a high water content because temperatures are close to freezing. The favored areas for heavy snow include the parts of Massachusetts that have already received several inches – primarily in Northern Bristol County and Norfolk County, as well as the normally snowy higher elevations of Worcester County. Some spots could get nearly a foot of heavy snow that may cause some downed branches and power lines. In the Providence area, there should be roughly 6″ of snow, give or take a couple of inches. Closer to the coast in RI, the final total should be closer to 2″. Upper Cape Cod may see 2-5″, with lower amounts on  Lower Cape Cod.

There is a significant coastal flooding threat in Eastern MA during the high tides Thursday evening and mid-morning Friday. The high tide Friday morning will produce moderate to severe coastal flooding.

Snow will begin to stick Thursday evening, and it will stay steady through tomorrow morning. The wind will be strong right through the day Friday. The combination of snow/wind may lead to near-blizzard conditions in parts of Eastern Massachusetts late at night or early in the morning. The temperature should fall to the upper 20s inland, and low 30s near the coast overnight. That is cold enough for accumulating snow on all surfaces – including roads. Side roads may be a mess in the morning. The main roads should be in better shape based on the pre-treating and overnight traffic.

The snow will stop accumulating once the sun gets high enough in the sky (9-10 am) and/or the snow gets lighter. The snow will gradually wind down, and may end as a mix or some light rain Friday afternoon. It will stay breezy to windy through tomorrow night. The weather looks much better this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday should feature some sun and highs in the 40s.

Storm timeline - March Nor'easter
Storm timeline – March Nor’easter

Fred Campagna

President and Chief Meteorologist - Right Weather LLC AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist #756 AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist #126

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