'Potent' Storm Headed Our Way
BOSTON (CBS) - I wish it were a just a cruel joke...just as much of the landscape in Southern New England is finally turning from white to green and the first signs of spring are popping up and sprouting through the ground, yet another potent winter storm is on its way.
While spring may officially be arriving this Wednesday morning, it will look and feel like mid-winter. Spring will remain on hold for at least another couple weeks...instead of baseball, lacrosse and soccer there will be more snowmen, shovels, and winter coats.
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Here are the details...
This storm will begin as snow everywhere Monday night, the first flakes will arrive in Worcester between 6 to 8 p.m. and in Boston between 8 and 10 p.m. Snow will continue moderate to heavy at times all night and right through Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning's commute will be the toughest ride of the week with several inches of snow on the ground by dawn.
The most difficult part of this forecast will be the rain/snow line and how far north it reaches. During Tuesday morning, it will make progress from south to north, making it to Boston by late morning or midday and perhaps as far north and west as 128 or 495 during Tuesday afternoon.
North and west of 495, precipitation will be all snow with perhaps just a bit of an icy mix Tuesday afternoon. Closer to the coast the snow will be heavy and wet, a bit tougher to accumulate, especially during the daylight hours of Tuesday. Farther inland, especially in elevated areas of Worcester County and into Central and Northern New England, snow will accumulate much more readily with temperatures a few degrees cooler.
So how much?
The lowest totals will be in extreme southeastern Massachusetts including Cape Cod where snow will change to rain early Tuesday morning...just 1-3" of heavy, wet snow in those areas. 3-6" is likely from inland areas of southeastern Massachusetts up to Boston...again, there will be a mix and change to rain by midday Tuesday here. A widespread 6-12" is the forecast from 128 north and west, including most of Middlesex, Essex and Worcester Counties and all of Southern New Hampshire and Vermont. The highest totals, close to a foot, will be in the hills of Worcester County and Southwest New Hampshire.
Winds will be gusty along the coast, highest in southeastern Massachusetts and over Cape Cod...frequent gusts of 20-40mph with some as high as 50mph Tuesday morning and afternoon.
Coastal flooding will be minor as tides are astronomically very low but unfortunately another round of beach erosion is likely.
There is no chance of a miss with this storm, the only possible adjustments could be with the rain/snow line and its ultimate location. At this point, you can just about lock it up, another potent winter storm with yet another round of messy commutes and school cancellations.
But hey, hang in there, spring is right around the corner, right Punxsatwney Phil?
You can follow Terry on Twitter at @TerryWBZ.
