fb-pixelA foot of snow could be headed to parts of N.E. - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
Dave Epstein

A foot of snow could be headed to parts of N.E.

Snow will have a difficult time accumulating on the roads, with most accumulation occurring overnight Friday. David Epstein

A spring nor’easter will bring snow, sleet, and freezing rain—as well as just plain rain—to the region late Friday into Saturday.

The storm has the potential to drop over a foot of heavy, wet snow across northern New England, with lesser amounts closer to Boston. The highest totals in southern New England will be along the Massachusetts border with New Hampshire and Vermont, and in higher elevations.

Total moisture from the storm could near two inches, which would help our drought situation quite a bit. You may want to give your basement sump pump a quick check before Friday night with all this water on the way.

Advertisement



This is a very complicated storm even by typical New England standards, and the snow amounts will ultimately reflect this.

The setup is as follows: A low pressure system will move through the Ohio Valley and up into New York state. This track of a storm brings milder air on the right side of it into New England. If this was the only storm, I’d be forecasting a brief period of snow with a change to rain. It wouldn’t be a big deal.

The issue is a secondary storm will take shape south of the area and then move off the coastline east of New England. This storm will become the primary one and take the energy from the original Ohio Valley system. Storms like this that move east of New England bring colder air on their left side, and therein lies the issue.

It appears likely enough warm air will work into the system to prevent a major snow event for areas east of Interstate 495. It’s important to note: A difference of a degree or two from the ground to the clouds would mean the difference between rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow.

Advertisement



A second storm will take shape off the coast Friday night and bring a mixed bag of weather to the regionNOAA

The first weather system may bring some light snow or even rain Friday, but the main event holds off until later in the day and overnight as the secondary storm takes shape. I don’t expect any travel issues due to the weather until after sunset Friday to the first part of Saturday. This is when the snow will be most intense, where it is snowing. This is also when the accumulation will occur.

Snow amounts will be somewhat less on the roads and greatest on the existing snow or grassy surfaces, which are colder.

The forecast will change over the next day as I get more information about the thermal profile of the atmosphere during the storm. A colder storm would bring heavier snow to the coast, while a warmer solution would push the heavier snow farther inland and over higher elevations. Freezing rain could be an issue over northern Worcester County and into Franklin County.

Because of the heavy wet nature of the snow, power outages are a distinct possibility, and this is something you should plan for if you live just inland from the coastline.


You can follow Dave Epstein @growingwisdom on Twitter.