Nearly a foot of snow expected to hit region

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Nearly a foot of snow expected to hit regionBy James Arnold, Weather Specialist

Region –  Our storm tomorrow is the real deal, and will present a number of hazards.  A foot of snow, plus or minus a little bit, can be expected across much of our area.  It will be driven by very strong east to northeast winds, gusting to near 60 mph over inland areas and to near 75 mph along the coast.  Temperatures during the storm will not be as bone chilling as those we have recently experienced, but following the passage of the storm yet another blast of Arctic air will pour into southern New England.

Light snow will begin in the pre dawn hours tomorrow and travel will become nearly impossible from about mid morning to late afternoon as this very intense storm approaches us.  Snow will end before midnight, winds will shift to the northwest and remain strong bringing a fresh batch of Arctic air to our region.  Friday and Saturday will be brutally cold, again threatening some long term temperature records. Strong winds Thursday night and Friday will diminish on Saturday.  High temperatures Saturday will likely remain in the single numbers and the colder spots like the Worcester airport may remain below zero all day.

Looking at likely temperature profiles, total precipitation values and liquid to snow ratios, it is becoming more likely, in my opinion, that a wide swath of southern New England including the Shrewsbury area, will be buried under a total snow accumulation of between 12 and 20 inches.  Blizzard conditions along the coast and near blizzard conditions further inland are almost a sure bet.  There can be some variations of reported snowfall due to where maximum banding sets up, but it looks like most places will get between 12 and 20 inches of snow.  A lot of blowing and drifting of the snow is expected as winds increase to 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 over inland areas and 40 to 50 mph with isolated gusts to 80 mph in coastal areas. The shoreline areas will get less snow due to a mix with or brief change to rain, but even there a significant snow total is expected.  Areas right along the shore will see 2 to 4 inches, and not too far inland it will increase to 4 to 8 inches.  Outside the Route 128 corridor and points west and north is where the 12 to 20 inch totals are expected.  This could still change in the next few hours, but it looks pretty certain to me at this point.

James M. Arnold is a retired Weather Specialist who has worked with Shrewsbury Emergency Management Agency; town of Princeton; Worcester Emergency Communications and Emergency Management Agency; Southborough Emergency Management Agency; town of Grafton and Wachusett Mountain Ski Area

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