Maps show icing threat across Massachusetts on Saturday; winter weather advisory issued
BOSTON - The WBZ-TV weather team has issued a NEXT weather alert for the threat of ice on the roads in Massachusetts on Saturday morning.
New England saw a precursor to the weekend weather on Friday morning when people awoke to patchy black ice.
The time to start keeping an eye out will begin around 5 to 6 a.m. and linger until mid to late morning with the final spots to warm up being in northeastern Massachusetts. Very little rain is expected (just hundredths of an inch) but a thin icy glaze could make untreated surfaces hazardous for travel, walking, running, etc
Ice and scattered showers for Saturday
Slick spots are possible just about anywhere in the area except the South Coast, with wake-up temperatures in the upper 20s to mid 30s. Everyone should be careful when heading out on the roads Saturday or taking that first step out the door. Often it's the smallest events that can catch people off guard and have an outsized impact.
However, given that temperatures are expected to slip below freezing yet again, everyone should be careful when heading out on the roads Saturday.
By mid-morning, milder air will begin to move into the region and boost temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s. Most spots will see any thin icy glaze melt away by 9 to 11 a.m.
This storm system heading our way has already had a mean streak, causing severe weather down south. However, the storm will lose its energy for severe weather by the time it reaches us and New England will just have to contend with scattered showers and light winds.
We'll also need to watch out for icy spots on Sunday morning for areas north of Boston and up into New Hampshire, as well as out west toward the Connecticut River Valley.
Timing of weekend storms
Many people in western and central Massachusetts will see spots of black ice before sunrise on Saturday, which could be made worse by additional freezing rain.
As for Boston the chance of ice falls significantly below 10% on Saturday. And if you're heading to Foxboro for the Chargers-Patriots game, we recommend bundling up and bringing rain gear. This will be a dreary, gray and soggy game.