Wednesday Snow Storm Timeline

BOSTON (CBS) - If you were hoping to wake up, turn on WBZ and hear the meteorologists apologizing for a missed forecast, sorry to disappoint. No last minute right hand turn, the storm is still coming, in fact it is already here.

No changes to the forecast this morning, snowfall is on schedule, a widespread 8-12" is still forecast for the majority of the area. A bit less on the South Coast, Cape Cod and Islands with some mixing, and a bit more well north and west where the snow will be just a bit lighter and easier to accumulate.

Here is the latest:

This Morning:
The "brunt" of the storm. About 75% of the total accumulation will fall during the morning hours, with snowfall rates between 1 and 2" per hour through noon. By lunch time there will be an average of 4-8" on the ground already. There will be a rain/snow line which will begin to creep northward, changing the snow to sleet and rain over the Islands, Cape Cod and the South Coast.

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This Afternoon:
Snow will gradually diminish in intensity, while there will be some bands of heavier snowfall, there will be other areas where it is snowing very lightly. The mixing line will continue its journey northward up the South Shore, perhaps reaching as far north as Boston. While Boston will likely never switch to a plain rain, some sleet is a possibility by mid to late afternoon. Additional snowfall amounts will vary widely this afternoon. Locations to the north and west of Boston could pick up another 3-6" while in southeastern Massachusetts the sleet and rain will compact what is already on the ground.

This Evening:
Snow winds down to flurries, very little additional accumulation. Let the cleanup begin. I would remind you that this snow will be much different than our past several storms. No more Arctic snow dust that you can clean with the leaf blower, this stuff will be very heavy and wet. And, where it changed or mixed with rain and sleet it will be that much heavier to move around. Please be careful.

Next Few Days:
Much quieter times, just generally cold and dry for the rest of the week. Our attention will then turn to the potential for another snowstorm Sunday/Monday. This one has an even greater ceiling than today's storm but it far from a certainty. In fact, over the last 24 hours, most weather models have shifted weaker and farther out to sea. It will likely be another 24-48 hours before we can give an accurate and confident forecast for this weekend.