DEDHAM, Mass. — A winter storm warning has been issued for much of Massachusetts ahead of a weekend nor’easter that is threatening to drop up to a foot of snow in some areas.
The warning goes into effect at 4 p.m. on Saturday through 1 am. on Monday.
The warning is in effect for northern Connecticut, western and central Massachusetts, as well as northeast Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.
Thursday afternoon’s updated forecast saw the projected track of the storm shift farther north, bringing more mild air with it.
Heavy snow is expected in northern Worcester County and the Merrimack Valley. Up to 8-12 inches of snow will fall in the “jackpot” area of the storm while southern bands of 5 -8 inches and 3-5 inches of snow extend down through Norfolk County. The storm is projected to taper off, turning into a wet mix the closer it gets to Cape Cod.
“Snow, rain, sleet, wind, and icy conditions all in play,” said Boston 25 Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz.
Boston and coastal areas to the south were excluded from the winter storm warning.
“By midnight we have rain going on at the coast, southeastern Massachusetts, and even into Boston,” said Lemanowicz. “That will become a snow situation then stays all rain into Sunday afternoon.”
“Highest amounts will be northwest of 128 and the Mass Pike. The least will be in southeastern Massachusetts. In between there is more uncertainty depending on the final track of the storm and influence of the easterly winds,” said Lemanowicz in his latest forecast.
“This is gonna be more than just heavy snow, we’ve got strong winds, especially along the coastline, and power outages because of the heavy wet sticky nature of the snow,” adds Boston 25 Meteorlogist Shiri Spear.
Peak storm conditions will happen Sunday morning through the midday hours. The system is expected to move out by Sunday night.
“By 1:00 p.m., just before [Patriots] kickoff, you have snow, probably three to four inches on the ground but on its way out through the afternoon and into the evening,” details Lemanowicz.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Friday spoke to reporters about how the city is preparing ahead of the storm.
“Our vehicles and our drivers and our city teams are out there trying to prepare the streets, treat them before the snow comes down, clear when it does come down and then make sure that they are safe,” Wu said.
The mayor said crews are also prepping all city vehicles to ensure they are working properly to treat city roads.
“Everything -- the brakes, the lights -- everything gets checked so that they’re prepared for the storm, and then the teams are on hand all throughout the night in case issues pop up,” Wu said.
“We are really grateful as always to the incredibly hardworking teams that really are on call all throughout the night,” Wu said.
The storm is not expected to have an impact on Monday. Wu said she hopes that the storm projections will stay that way.
“The timing of this so far, fingers crossed, does mean that it should have less of an impact on the normal rhythms of our weekday commutes and school pickups and drop-offs and all that,” Wu said.
Stay with the Boston 25 Weather Team for updates as the weekend gets closer.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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