Winter storm warnings have been issued for parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, and this weekend is expected to be a powerful Nor Easter that will bring rain, wind and plenty of snow to New England.
The National Weather Service has a warning for the Middlesex and Worcester counties in Massachusetts from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. Various warnings were issued for parts of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine; Length varies but usually from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon.
The warnings indicate an expected snowfall of at least 6 inches and in some cases above one foot. See all active weather alerts in our area here.
Timeline: An hour-long view of this weekend’s Nor Easter
The storm is coming together in our south, with a forecast of Saturday turning into rain with snow on Saturday and Sunday in Maine.
In the short term, raindrops, not snowdrops, are forecast for Friday evening and overnight, extending slowly through southern New England by Saturday morning.
This weekend proves tricky for the Northeast Easter forecast, says NBC 10 Boston and NECN chief meteorologist Matt Noyes, but he has all the data on what to expect across the New England.
There is uncertain evidence in the forecast that the subtle connection of the northern and southern hemispheres closest to New England should happen exactly to a larger event in the south of the south (but it seems like, almost certainly to Maine).
As the storm intensifies and pulls colder winds from the north and west of New England, moderate temperatures in the 40s begin in the 40s and drop in central and eastern New England from noon to noon.
As far as we can imagine, until the storm joins, the rain on Saturday morning will have its own effect, until Saturday morning with more than an inch of large puddles falling and water accumulating on the roads.
Of course, when it rains over the highlands of central Massachusetts and much of northern and western New England, the roads get worse, and the wet snow-covered water can be muddy on the roads. Add snow on top of that, it will require plowing and treatment.
Far east, anxiety is not in the hours, but may be intense for a short time on Saturday afternoons. As the storm intensifies in the east, heavy rains in the western part of the storm on Saturday afternoon will move directly over eastern New England, confirming the heaviest snowfall in most parts of Maine and eastern New Hampshire, and is likely to produce in eastern Massachusetts (though not until southeastern Saturday evening). Hours of heavy snow erupted, which could worsen road conditions.
If all goes well, that snowfall will reduce two to four inches of snow per hour from northeastern Massachusetts to Maine Saturday evening – and if it comes together soon, that energy will expand to the south coast.
That’s why, despite our first warning team acknowledging some uncertainty and the need to follow up on our updates, we are encouraging all residents in the South as far as the Southeast to stay in driveway stocks and prepare for snowfall and plowing. Ready for tough travel and road treatments. If a snowstorm that way comes through south Plymouth County, everything will be ready.
On Saturday afternoon and evening the wind blows on the beach, first blowing at 60 mph from the Cape Line south, if the storm center moves directly over the cape, then blows from the north and northwest at brief speeds of up to 60 mph and at 45 mph for many.
The wind may trigger some electrical interruptions where heavy snowfall can cause additional inconvenience to electrical connections.
The storm will leave Saturday night, with a thunderstorm on Sunday but more than a foot of snow in Maine and New Hampshire, with the exception of snow and sleet in the north.
They will get a natural boost to start the ski and snowmobile season, while Vermont will see lighter snow levels, but everyone is in for a chill week next week, perfect for skiing to explode and create a natural ice base, and the opening will progress quickly next week.
