Good evening everyone, Here is the latest information on the upcoming significant winter storm, which will begin tomorrow afternoon and end early Tuesday morning. *Watches/Warnings/Advisories:* 1) Winter Storm Warning continues for Western Hampden, Western Hampshire, all of Franklin, northern Worcester, and far northwest Middlesex Counties in MA 2) Winter Storm Watch continues for Hartford and Tolland Counties in northern CT; eastern Hampden, eastern Hampshire, southern Worcester, Norfolk, central and southeast Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex Counties in MA 3) NEW: Winter Weather Advisory now in effect for Windham County, CT and northwest Providence County, RI. 4) NEW: Gale Watch now in effect for all coastal waters from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon/night. *What we expect:* *Sunday into early Monday* - Snow will begin in western MA between Noon and 1 PM Sunday; CT Valley and central MA 1-3 PM Sunday; and eastern MA 3-5 PM. - Snow becomes heavy at times (1"/hour) shortly after onset and continues in the late afternoon and evening hours. - As warmer air intrudes aloft, precipitation changes to sleet, then freezing rain in northern CT, RI, to a sleet/snow mix in northern MA, and to plain rain in southern RI and southeast MA for the overnight hours. - By daybreak Monday, snow/sleet accumulations of 6-8" possible in western and northern MA with approximately 4-6" in Springfield and interior Essex County, with 2-5" elsewhere, except less than an inch on Cape Cod/Islands and near the immediate coast in southeast MA and southern RI. - The snow will be very moisture-laden. This could make for compact snow but it will be heavy to shovel. - Wind gusts will increase to 25-40 mph along the south coast late Sunday night. *Monday into early Tuesday* - Early in the morning, rain will be occurring in RI and much of eastern MA, with a mixed bag elsewhere. However, everything will change back to snow from west to east. The changeover will reach as far east as northeast MA, central MA, and northern CT by about 3 PM. It will reach RI and eastern MA (except Cape Cod/Islands) by between 7 PM and 11 PM Monday. The snow could continue into early Tuesday morning. Less snow is expected than what occurred on the front end Sunday, but there still could be several inches in some locations. This may be dependent on where localized bands of heavier snow set up. - Winds will gust to 35-45 mph along coastal areas, with the highest gusts over Cape Ann, outer Cape Cod, and the coastal waters off eastern MA. - Storm surges of up to 2 feet are expected, but due to low astronomical tides, only splashover is expected for east coastal MA, including Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket (with northeast winds). Will keep a close eye on this as some pockets on minor coastal flooding cannot be ruled out. *Storm Total Accumulations:* - We are still expecting a widespread 8 to 10 inches over much of interior MA with as much as a foot possible in the higher Worcester hills and 12 to 17 inches in the east slopes of the Berkshires. Amounts drop off rapidly as one heads southeast, with 3 to 5 inches from southern Hartford County eastward to Providence and Plymouth and less than an inch on Cape Cod and the Islands. *Confidence* : - Confidence remains highest in the warning areas of western and northern MA, where >6" of snow in a 12 hour period or 8" in a 24 hour period is likely. - Confidence remains low enough at this point, however, to have continued the Winter Storm Watch for many interior locations. This is due to not being completely sure of the extent of the warm air intrusion, which could greatly impact snowfall totals. A colder scenario by just a few degrees would mean more snow than currently forecast. Our lowest confidence is in southeast sections, particularly along the I-95 corridor. This could be a situation in which there is a sharp snowfall gradient within the city of Boston, with only a slushy inch or two at the immediate coast to warning criteria amounts in western Suffolk County. Attached are wind gust, onset timing, and snow total graphics. A more comprehensive Powerpoint will be forthcoming soon. -- Glenn Field/Rodney Chai NWS - Norton, MA If you have any questions or would like more information, don't hesitate to contact us via this email address, on NWSChat <https://nwschat.weather.gov/>, or at the following: National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA 46 Commerce Way Norton, MA 02766 508.622.3280 Website <http://www.weather.gov/boston> | Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston> | Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/NWSBoston>
