A Nor’easter is expected to wallop the state Wednesday with up to a foot of snow in some areas, creating difficult travel conditions across the state with high winds and coastal flooding also possible.
While some precipitation was already coming down in Western Massachusetts on Wednesday morning, National Weather Service forecasters say the storm’s impacts will begin in earnest late Wednesday evening into Thursday morning for most of the state. The greater Worcester area will see a wintry mix — rain, sleet, and snow — sometime Wednesday afternoon, beginning roughly between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to Bill Leatham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Norton office.
“Eventually really late tonight, that wintry mix changes over to snow,” he said.
A National Weather Service map shows projected snow totals for Massachusetts during this week’s winter storm.National Weather Service
The snow is expected to continue throughout the day Thursday, and Leatham said that higher elevations like the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires would see the greatest accumulations.
Lower elevations — particularly in and around Worcester and Lawrence — could see about an inch or two of snow, while other areas like MetroWest might see just a coating, according to Leatham. Boston may see some snow mixing with other precipitation, but nothing in the way of accumulations.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s really elevation-dependent,” Leatham told MassLive Wednesday morning, adding it “doesn’t really look like things are going to be winding down until late [Thursday] night potentially into early Friday.”
Greater Boston should see little to no impact from the storm on the Wednesday evening or Thursday morning commute aside from rain. But, the same cannot be said for Western Massachusetts, where Leatham said travel was going to be “trickier.”
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for the Berkshires and Northern Worcester and Middlesex Counties, with a high wind warning in place along coastal areas including Boston and the Cape and Islands.
“This is expected to be a long-duration, multi-faceted event,” forecasters warned. “While precipitation starts today, intensity will increase tonight into Thursday when some of the heaviest rates may fall accompanied by strong, gusty winds. Be prepared for a prolonged duration of impact.”
Looking ahead, the storm will make its presence felt even after the precipitation dissipates, bringing with it a cold snap expected to bring temperatures down to what might be expected in February, not April, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
“It may take until the latter part of the weekend to early next week before the storm pivots far enough to the east to allow gusty winds and cold air to diminish in the region,” Sosnowski wrote.
