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Heavy Snow 'Thump' Wednesday Followed By Freezing Rain

BOSTON (CBS) - We interrupt this Patriots support group discussion with breaking weather news.

Looking for something to take your mind off of the Super Bowl? Well we may have just the thing!

How about a midweek snowstorm?

It is looking increasingly likely that we will have a widespread, plowable snowfall on Wednesday. This one is all about location, location, location. Mainly rain for some, 6+ inches of snow for others and a whole bunch of us smack dab in the middle.

The location of the rain/snow line and its progression on Wednesday will be the key to this forecast and ultimately the deciding factor when it comes to how much snow you will be shoveling.

Headlines
(WBZ-TV graphic)

Now for the details:

TIMELINE

Wednesday Morning:

A quiet start to the day… likely nothing falling during the morning commute. Getting to work and school should be no trouble. The precipitation arrives between 9-11 a.m. from west to east. It will start as snow for most of the area, essentially all areas north of the South Coast and Cape Cod (where it will be a mix or rain to start).

snow
(WBZ-TV graphic)

Wednesday Afternoon/Evening:

The heavy precipitation settles in and the milder air aloft slowly pushes northward. The initial burst of snow should be fairly significant, with rates of an inch per hour at times. By mid-afternoon, the snow will be changing to ice and rain from south to north. Areas south of the Massachusetts Turnpike will changeover first, limiting the snowfall accumulation potential there. Cold air will be tough to dislodge in areas north of the Pike and especially north and west of I-495. There will likely be a period of mixing/ice by late afternoon/evening in those areas.

2017-Winter-Storm-Watch
(WBZ-TV graphic)

Wednesday Night:

As the storm moves by, colder air returns and the rain/ice will likely change back over to a brief period of snow before ending. All precipitation tapers off around or just after midnight. Temperatures will fall below freezing by midnight in all areas north of the Pike and after midnight all areas south of the Pike. This will cause everything to freeze up, making all untreated surfaces quite slippery.

ACCUMULATION

So how much?

Mainly rain: Most of Cape Cod and the Islands

Coating to 2 inches: Southern Bristol and Plymouth counties including the city of Plymouth and the South Coast. Note, this will likely all be washed away by the change to rain.

snow
(WBZ-TV graphic)

2-to-4 inches: Boston to Providence, most of Norfolk County and northern Bristol and Plymouth counties. Most if not all of this will be severely depressed or washed away by rain.

4-to-8 inches: All areas north and west of Route 128, through I-495 (north and west), including Worcester, Marlboro, Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill.

Precipitation
(WBZ-TV graphic)

8-to-12 inches: The jackpot will be in northern Worcester County and through all of central and northern New England (hello ski areas!). Essentially all of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine will see a solid thumping of snow with no mixing.

So there you have it.

Grab a shovel and take out your Super Bowl frustration on your driveway.

As always, we urge that you stay tuned to updated forecasts on WBZ-TV and CBSBoston.com.

Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ

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