Snow, rain across Massachusetts will make evening commute treacherous. Maps show who might get the most.
There is snow falling in Massachusetts Tuesday and it could be plowable in some towns, but the Boston area won't see much.
The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Warnings in southern New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont as well as in elevated areas in Massachusetts. Those areas include the Berkshires and Worcester Hills. A Winter Storm Warning is issued in areas where there is a significant chance of 6 inches or more of snow accumulation.
There's a Winter Weather Advisory (a step down from the warnings) posted in the Route 495 belt from Haverhill to Marlboro as well as in the Blackstone River Valley in southern Worcester County.
This will not be a blockbuster storm. You could technically call it a nor'easter, although the winds in this storm will not be a major factor like most nor'easters. We also don't expect any major coastal issues, no significant flooding, wind damage or power outages.
The forecast now appears as though rain will be the predominant precipitation type for much of eastern Massachusetts during the day Tuesday.
One day event
This will be a one-day event, spanning nearly the entire day Tuesday.
The first snowflakes came down around dawn, mainly in parts of central and western Massachusetts. Folks traveling in those areas saw some light snow during the morning commute Tuesday.
The rain and snow will fill in quickly and by midday we expect it to be raining across most of eastern and southeastern Massachusetts.
The rain/snow line will be located around Route 495 with snow falling to the north and west of that.
The roads will quickly become snow-covered north and west of 495 and travel will steadily deteriorate hour-by-hour.
Evening commute
The commute Tuesday evening will be treacherous with the rain and snow continuing to fall heavily at times.
We expect the rain/snow line to be well to the north and west at this hour, perhaps as far north as the Massachusetts New Hampshire border.
For much of central and eastern Massachusetts, it will be heavy rain with ponding on the roads. For elevated areas in northern Worcester County, western Massachusetts and most of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine the snow will be moderate to heavy.
As the winds shift to a more northerly direction after 7 p.m., the rain will change to wet snow across much of Worcester, Middlesex and Essex counties. We expect 2-to-4 hours of snow to wrap up the storm, mainly between 8 p.m. and midnight across northeast Massachusetts.
This is when those areas may pick up a small accumulation.
How much snow?
The highest snow amounts will be in the elevated areas of central and western Massachusetts and certainly in most of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The snow totals taper off quickly the farther south and east you travel.
6-to-12 inches: Berkshires, northern Worcester county, and much of central and northern New England.
3-to-6": Just northwest of the Route 495 belt, very sloppy with a mix of wet snow and rain.
1-to-3": From 495 through Route 128, largely at the tail end of the storm.
Coating-to-1": Immediate coastline of the North Shore and Boston area, again at the tail end of the storm.
Mainly rain: Cape Cod and the Islands and much of southeastern Massachusetts.
While most of you likely won't be traveling in any significant snow this time around, this still may be a good time to make sure your car is winterized. Feel free to use our winter checklist.
What's next?
December is bringing all the winter feels along with it. It looks like a blast of very cold air later this week following a cold front on Thursday.
It will be absolutely frigid Thursday night through Friday with feels-like temperatures dipping below zero for the first time this year.
Our next chance of rain or snow looks to arrive on Saturday. More on that storm in the coming days.