The Latest Advisory From The National Weather Service
A Blizzard Warning is in effect now for much of Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. This includes all coastal areas, but has recently been expanded to include Providence, RI; Taunton, MA; Brockton, MA …all of Bristol and Plymouth Counties in MA. It currently does not include Boston although near-blizzard conditions will occur there.
We are expecting snow to begin along the south coast between 5 PM and 6 PM, reaching Providence and Hartford between 6 PM and 7 PM, then Boston around 8 PM, perhaps as late as 9 PM. It may take a couple of hours to become heavy. This is based on what has happened in NJ – it snowed with 1 mile visibility for a while in Trenton then became ¼ mile in heavy snow in Philadelphia, south of Trenton
The snow will be heaviest between Midnight and 8 AM…then the bulk will have exited the region by mid to late morning Sunday. However, a change from yesterday’s thinking is that it will continue to snow lightly through most of Sunday afternoon…ending around sundown in the east.
Basically the highest amounts will be in the Blizzard Warning area… from 10 to 16 inches now being advertised, but some spot 18 inch amounts are possible in southeast MA or southern RI. In the area from Hartford to southern Worcester to Boston, roughly a foot is expected. Lesser amounts, like 4 to 8 inches as you head west and north to Northampton, Fitchburg, and near the NH border. Nashua, while still in a Watch, might either be converted to an Advisory or Warning in this afternoon’s package since it is close to the 6 or 7 inch threshold of a Warning for that area.
We are expected a bunch of thunderstorms to develop across RI and southeast MA overnight between 1 AM and 7 AM, which may produce 3 inch per hour (or higher) snowfall rates.
Bands of snow are expected to form, which will make for prolific totals in one area and not as much even right nearby. It is hard to predict where the bands will set up. Right now the best guess is in southern/central RI over to Taunton/Plymouth/Fall River/Cape Cod Canal. Models are hinting at the potential for another band along the CT River Valley in the Hartford area, perhaps toward Springfield. We have 8 to 13 inches on the map there now, but if the band forms, 15 inches in not out of the question.