Much of the region was still cleaning up from a powerful weekend nor’easter when forecasters hit residents with some more weather news: There’s snow coming — and there’s the possibility that it’ll be a substantial amount.
The storm, which is expected to arrive Wednesday after the morning commute, could drop as much as 13 inches of snow on parts of Massachusetts, state officials said.
The officials cautioned that the storm has yet to form and is still more than two days away, so there’s some uncertainty in the forecasts.
Why the uncertainty with Wed-Thu storm? It's actually typical of most winter storms. Avg model track error at 48 hours (where we are now) last winter was nearly 115 miles! That's why it's too soon to "lock in" to any one model run!
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) March 5, 2018
However, a winter storm watch has already been issued for much of the state for Wednesday morning through Thursday morning, meaning that there could be enough snow, sleet, or ice to impact travel, according to the National Weather Service. The heaviest snowfall is expected Wednesday night, forecasters wrote.
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On Monday afternoon, forecasters expected that the Boston area could see about 6 inches of snowfall from Wednesday’s storm, while other parts of the state could get more than a foot, according to the weather service.
A worst-case-scenario map generated around 3:18 p.m. Monday showed that there is a potential for those accumulations to rise to 19 inches in some parts of the state.
Meteorologists also point out there’s a small chance that Boston and the coast could see no snow, while parts of the state could only see 5 or 6 inches. But don’t get too hopeful for a total wash: Forecasters note there is a nine in 10 chance for higher snowfall totals than what’s depicted on the lower-end prediction map.
Meteorologists also pointed out that the rain/snow line was fairly uncertain as of late Monday afternoon.
The weather service also uploaded maps showing the percent chance of how much snowfall each area will get.
On the bright side, it seems unlikely for a foot or more of the cold white stuff in the Boston area.
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Forecasters also warned that it can get gusty — though winds shouldn’t be as extreme as they were during Friday’s storm.
Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report.