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Snow, Damaging Wind And Coastal Flooding Expected For Southern New England

BOSTON (CBS) – Our friends in the Mid-Atlantic are getting hammered by a blizzard as of this writing. Snow totals have already topped a foot in some communities, there have been reports of thundersnow near D.C. and Philly and seas have already built to over 21 feet off the coastline of southern New Jersey.

We have yet to get into the meat and potatoes of this storm. But that will change as early as later on this afternoon.

So let's get right to the details.

Timeline:

Flurries are already breaking out in eastern MA. Areas of steadier snow arrive to the south coast between 9-11 a.m., advancing to the Mass Pike by 1 PM. Through the mid- to late afternoon, the snow will be light to moderate in intensity. By the early evening, say around 5 p.m., the snow will reach to the Mass./N.H. border.

2015 RPM 4KM

At the same time, some moderate to heavy bursts of snow will pivot into the South Coast, Cape & Islands. Snow will taper northern and west of Boston around midnight tonight, as the back edge moves southeast during the pre-dawn tomorrow.

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Snow should end in the city of Boston around 3 a.m., with just some lingering light snow from the South Shore to Cape Cod during the 5-7 a.m. timeframe Sunday morning.

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Totals:

All week long we talked about the highest potential of 6 or more inches south of Boston. We have now added a 6-10" contour along the South Coast & Cape Cod.

Otherwise, our map is essentially unchanged. Little if any snow will fall north of the Mass./N.H. border. Accumulations ramp up steadily the farther south you go, from 1-3" just north of the Mass Pike into southern Essex and Middlesex counties.

weathergraphic

Three to six inches will fall from Cohasset to Brockton and the Providence corridor, and 6-10" from southern Bristol and Plymouth counties to Cape Cod, with some slightly lower totals from Wellfleet to Provincetown.

Wind:

The strongest wind will be on the Cape/Islands from the late evening Saturday through pre-dawn Sunday. Expect numerous gusts 40-50 mph, some scattered gusts over 50 mph, and isolated gusts to 60 mph (mainly on Nantucket).

2015 GUSTS POLY

Pockets of wind damage and outages will result from a combination of the strong wind and wet consistency of the snow. As the storm pulls away from southern New England in the morning, our wind will shift pretty quickly to blow out of the north then northwest on the backside of the low – gradually diminishing through the afternoon tomorrow.

Coastal Flooding:

Coastal residents, you know the drill. Our seas will build through the day today and the onshore wind will pile up the water at the shore as high tide approaches. The full moon means our tides are astronomically high, which doesn't help our situation.

2016 Coastal Flood Watch

Tonight's high tide will yield pockets of minor coastal flooding and splashover, but tomorrow's high tide around 11 a.m. is the bigger concern. Moderate coastal flooding is possible from Hull to Cape Cod – specifically, Scituate, Sandwich & Nantucket will need to be monitored closely.

Basement flooding and street flooding will lead to some road closures and there could be some isolated structural damage to the most vulnerable locations.

We've got you covered. Our entire team will be in this weekend keeping you posted on the very latest – so stay tuned to WBZ on-air and online.

-Danielle

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