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Snow Storm Brings Blizzard Conditions To Cape, Little To Boston Area

BOSTON (CBS) - The snow has arrived on schedule, it is going to be a messy morning commute over southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands.

The good news for most everyone else, this storm will be a Cape Cod Special. Just some light snow and flurries in the Boston area and nearby suburbs.

Check: Current Conditions | Interactive Radar | WBZ Weather Blog

Perhaps an even bigger story than the snow will be the wind. This storm is going to deepen so rapidly and become so large that it will look like a summer-time hurricane as it passes by our latitude Wednesday morning.

Even though the center of the storm will be a few hundred miles away, tropical storm force winds (greater than 40 mph) will extend several hundred miles out in all directions. These strong wind gusts will envelop all of Cape Cod and at times, eastern sections of Massachusetts.

Check: Snow Totals

Here is what you can expect, hour by hour, inch by inch.

TIMELINE

5 a.m. - 8 a.m:  The snow reached its peak intensity (over southeastern Mass.) and its farthest westernmost point (some light snow and flakes back to Route 128 and I-495). There were blizzard conditions at times over Cape Cod with snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour. The winds ramped up quickly, gusting 30-to-60 mph in southeastern Mass., highest over the outer Cape and Nantucket. Winds in Boston and elsewhere in eastern Mass. gusted above 20 mph.

8 a.m. - 11 a.m: The steady snow continues over southeastern Mass., Cape Cod and the Islands.  Winds reach their peak, gusting as high as 60 mph over the outer Cape, perhaps even to near 70 mph briefly! The snow will essentially be confined to southeastern Massachusetts at this point, with just a few flakes as far north as Boston, again this really will be a non-event for most traveling into Boston from the north and west. The tide begins to go out, but the powerful, persistent winds will likely keep most of the water in the bay.  Waves just offshore will reach 20-to-25 feet!

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After 11 a.m: The storm will get out of here in a hurry.  The back edge of the steady snow will be on the move.  By 2 p.m. the only snow left will be on the extreme outer Cape, and that will be tapering as well. Winds will shift from northerly to northwesterly and still be very busy. Winds will gust 20-to-40 mph for the entire region, all afternoon, with the highest gusts (to 50 mph) again over Cape Cod. Temperatures will hover a few degrees above freezing so roads should be able to recover quickly where they were snow covered.

After Wednesday: Let the good times roll! Temperatures will recover to near 40 degrees on Thursday and then surge well past 50 on Friday! The great thing about March snowfall, it doesn't stick around long.

Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ

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