A storm on Tuesday could bring plowable snow to parts of Massachusetts just in time for a white Christmas.

This will not be a major snowstorm, think of it as more of a holiday "mood setter." Given all the hustle and bustle this week for the holidays, it felt important to alert you to the possibility of some whitened roadways and potentially slower travel.  

When will the snow arrive?

The first flakes arrive in central Massachusetts between 8 and 10 a.m., but in eastern Massachusetts, it should be between 10 a.m. and noon.

It will snow steadily, albeit mainly lightly, all afternoon, and many untreated roadways and surfaces will become snow-covered. Some rain will mix in along the South Coast, Cape Cod and the Islands in this timeframe.

The snow will taper off from west to east Tuesday night, ending in central Massachusetts between 8 and 10 p.m. and in eastern Massachusetts between 10 p.m. and midnight.  

As the storm blows well to our east, out at sea, we may get one last band during Wednesday morning and early afternoon.

If you are traveling along or east of I-95 on Wednesday, you may encounter some wind-whipped, ocean-effect snow showers that could briefly whiten the roadways and reduce visibility.

Beyond that, we do not foresee any weather issues on Wednesday night or Thursday. Then it will be rather chilly, but seasonal on Christmas Day with a bit of a gusty breeze at times.  

How much snow will there be?

Snow amounts will be light but plowable in some areas.

Expect a general 1 to 3 inches across all of southern New England north of Providence and Plymouth.

There will be some rain mixing in to the south. We are forecasting a coating to an inch of snow across far southeastern Massachusetts. But most of that will be washed away. 

There is a chance that a few towns north and west of Boston could see up to 4 inches of snow.