Snow haters, look away!
The biggest snow storm of the season, so far, could be on the way to the region this weekend.
The National Weather Service’s Boston office is forecasting 6 to 8 inches of snow across Massachusetts from Saturday night into Sunday. Some spots may even see close to a foot of snow. NWS Boston has issued a “Winter Storm Watch.”
The snow should get started between 7 and 10 p.m. on Saturday before it “quickly gets heavy overnight,” said Francis Tarasiewicz, meteorologist at NWS Boston.
The heaviest of the snow will be between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., before the snow slowly tapers off Sunday morning — with plenty of time to clean up before Super Bowl parties.
Meteorologists have been keeping a close eye on the storm’s track, trying to see if it was shifting north or south.
“There’s a high degree of certainty with the track,” Tarasiewicz told the Herald on Friday.
Travel could be very difficult Saturday night into Sunday morning. There could be hourly snowfall rates of half an inch to an inch.
“Pay attention to the road conditions,” Tarasiewicz said. “And give yourself plenty of time on the roadways.”
With temps expected to be in the 20s, this storm should bring fluffier snow.
As the track has shifted south, the chances for mixed precipitation have significantly dropped.
This weekend storm comes after Thursday’s snow and wintry mix, and there could be more snow on the way next week.
“We’re in a very active pattern,” Tarasiewicz said. “We’re watching a few other possible systems, with the next in the pipeline for the middle part of next week, and another possible system later next week. So we’re keeping a close eye on things.”
While nothing is certain about the middle of next week, the story heading into next week will be that this active pattern is likely to continue.
“This pattern is locked and loaded right now,” posted Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore. “Non-stop storms will pepper the USA through mid-month and likely beyond. Of course the devil is always in the details, but 3 impact events are likely Monday through Sunday of next week which will carry all hazards to some extent. Again not crippling, but impactful.”