After a day of largely dry weather, Massachusetts can expect a “messy” winter storm to bring snow, sleet and rain overnight Wednesday, National Weather Service forecasters say.
The storm should bring up to 3 inches of snow in high terrain — areas like the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires — but also as little as a coating in the southern part of the state. Further inland, in the area northwest of Interstate 95, warm air will cause the snow to fall as sleet and eventually freezing rain.
A map published by the weather service predicts 2 to 3 inches of snowfall for Fitchburg and Greenfield and their surrounding areas, with lower totals of between 1 and 2 inches for much of the rest of the state.
Forecasters have issued a Winter Weather Advisory for almost the entire state beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday and stretching into 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The advisory, which excludes parts of Eastern Massachusetts along the coast, warns of slippery road conditions during the Thursday morning commute.
“Given the timing around the morning commute, this could make for some hazardous roads, mainly in the interior where freezing rain is a concern,” forecasters wrote.
The next chance for snowfall comes Saturday into Sunday, when the Bay State could see a system bringing snow, then a wintry mix of other precipitation.
While exact snow totals remain uncertain at this point, forecasters say areas north of the Massachusetts Turnpike have the “highest potential” for snowfall while others may see less due to the “timing of the warm air and transition to mixed precipitation.”
