Bracing for another potent winter punch
Two-day storm bringing heavy snow, strong winds across state
Don’t put away your shovels and ice scrapers just yet — a slow-moving storm system that will roar into the Bay State today is expected to drop as much as a foot and a half of heavy snow on cities and towns still reeling from a wintry blast on Thursday.
Today’s snowstorm, which is expected to last longer than Thursday’s blizzard, will begin about 10 a.m. and dump between 12 and 18 inches of snow in northern Massachusetts and between 6 and 8 inches in Boston before it clears the area tomorrow evening, according to the National Weather Service. Residents in communities in the southeastern part of the state will be largely spared, and will only have to dig out from between 4 and 6 inches of snow.
Essex County from Lynn to Newburyport could get up to 18 inches, while the South Shore to Plymouth could see a foot, forecasters said.
The Cape and Islands are in the cross hairs for another blizzard, meteorologists warn, saying heavy snow and high winds early tomorrow morning could snarl roadways and lead to another round of power outages.
And though the bulk of the system will have blown through the region by tomorrow afternoon, weather experts expect the storm will impact both commutes tomorrow.
“The heavy snow will make many roads impassable and may produce widespread power outages due to the weight of the snow on tree limbs and power lines,” the National Weather Service said. “Strong winds will lead to blowing snow ... reduced visibility ... and additional power outages.”
The storm is also expected to bring a mix of rain and snow at times, which will create slick and icy driving conditions.
“Be aware of the transition from snow to rain and back and forth,” said Lenore Correia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton. “It will make for really bad road conditions.”
The heaviest snowfall is expected tomorrow morning, with as much as 2 to 4 inches per hour possible.
The mix of snow and rain is expected to produce heavy snow and wind gusts that could down trees and power lines and leave many Bay State residents in the dark.
Tomorrow’s messy commute will follow a one-two punch last week of icy roads Wednesday morning that led to one fatal crash and a 55-car pileup and a blizzard that dumped more than a foot of snow statewide the next day.