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First Snow Of Season Then Temperatures Plummet

BOSTON (CBS) - Nothing like waking up to a fresh blanket of snow, am I right? Just not something you typically expect to see in October!

Snow in October is rare but not unprecedented. In fact, we have had measurable snow in Boston three times since the year 2000, the last time being nine years ago in 2011.

Snow is even less rare in Worcester in October. They actually got a whopping 16 inches (an October record) back in the "Snow-tober" of 2011.

Snow in the shoulder seasons is almost always more prevalent in the elevated areas and it never sticks around long. So, for those who end up with a few inches in the driveway Friday, my advice would be to simply leave it and let Mother Nature do the cleaning.

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TIMELINE:

The first hints of a mix and change to snow will occur in the Berkshires and Worcester Hills.

By 5-6 a.m. it will be snowing just about everywhere north of the Mass Pike.

By 9 a.m. the snow will have reached all the way south to a Plymouth-Providence line.

The snow then tapers from west to east between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

SNOW AMOUNTS:

I think there will be some fairly steady, perhaps heavy snow, going on between 6 a.m.-10 a.m. Friday morning. Combine the snow intensity with temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s and I think a few inches on the grass will be pretty easy west of I-95. Closer to the coast, the snow is a bit wetter and temperatures are a tad milder, so it will have a tougher time sticking.

friday snow potential
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Officially…

1"-3" areas just west of I-95 from about Haverhill to Natick to northwest Rhode Island and just about all of Worcester county. A bit more on the grass than on roads but I do think some roads will become snow covered and slick after 6 a.m.

Coating to 1" along the coastline and back to about 128. This includes Boston, Providence and most of eastern Essex County and Norfolk County.

Just a few flakes along the South Shore down to about Plymouth and all rain expected along the South Coast, Cape Cod and the Islands.

WIND:

Coastal locations will feel their first taste of a nor'easter. The Cape and Islands will get the worst of the wind with north-northeast gusts up to 50 mph through Friday morning.  Astronomical tides are on the low side, so flooding is not expected.

friday wind warning
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THE FREEZE:

Temperatures will only recover into the 30s during Friday afternoon and then will plummet into the teens and 20s in most of the suburbs by Saturday morning, bringing an end to the growing season. Boston may hit 32 degrees in October for the first time in five years.

halloween temps
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Temperatures recover into the 40s Saturday afternoon (low 40s for trick or treaters) and to near 60 on Sunday!

Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ

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