Good afternoon, The *WINTER STORM WATCH* continues over northern and western portions of MA with the expected accumulating snowfall for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. To clarify why we held with the *WATCH*. It is entirely possible the associated storm system could move through faster and we could get less. It is also possible that the heavier precipitation / snowfall outcomes occur outside of MA, more across northern areas of New England. While there is concern of travel impacts outlined below, there is still not a high level of confidence with this forecast. Behind the snows, bitter cold and dangerously low wind chills follow for Wednesday into Thursday. Attached, you'll find the latest headlines and snowfall forecast, along with worst-case and best-case scenarios, for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning along with forecast precipitation types. Also, we've included forecast lowest wind chills for Wednesday through Thursday. Should you have any questions, comments and/or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. *What / Where / When ...* - Accumulating Snowfall - *Timeline* ... broadly speaking, beginning around noon Tuesday for the CT River Valley, encompassing eastern MA by early evening; becoming moderate, possibly heavy at times over northern / western MA early evening Tuesday to shortly after midnight Wednesday before concluding into early morning Wednesday. - Challenges with respect to the rain / snow transition line, monitoring the Hartford - Worcester - Boston corridor especially. - To get the more finer details we encourage everyone to check out the hourly weather graph for their particular area by clicking on the map in the link below: - https://forecast.weather.gov/gridpoint.php?site=box&TypeDefault=graphical - *Impacts *... slick conditions on untreated roads and hazardous travel, especially for the Tuesday afternoon into evening commute. Watching closely the I-91 corridor throughout CT & MA, as well as the western-halves of I-90 and Route 2. - Dangerously cold wind chills - *Timeline *... developing towards noon Wednesday as Arctic air surges into the region per westerly winds with gusts up to 40 mph; especially Wednesday night into Thursday, dangerously cold wind chills could continue through Friday morning while bitter cold persists into Saturday. - *Impacts *... with greater exposure to the elements, roughly 30 minutes, there is the risk for hypothermia and frostbite. Can't rule out isolated issues with freezing pipes. - *Marine Impacts* ... moderate freezing spray forecast with gales and wave heights up as high as 8 to 12 feet, expect dangerous conditions for all vessels, even those properly equipped for Wednesday through Thursday. *Uncertainty ...* - Biggest challenge is nailing down the exact evolution of the rain / snow line which will ultimately determine snowfall amounts and outcomes. - In addition, there is a measure of uncertainty concerning snowfall amounts, whether meeting or exceeding 3" advisory / 6" warning level criteria for particular counties, hence the continuance of the WATCH. Respectfully, Benjamin Sipprell Meteorologist NWS Boston / Norton 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>
