BOSTON – Well, it's taken nearly two years, but we're finally getting a snowstorm in southern New England!
When all is said and done, I think there will be enough snow.
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No major changes to the forecast on Sunday. As usual, conditions will vary greatly from place to place. On the coast, some rain falls, mixes and descends. In the Merrimack Valley and out across Worcester County, a winter wonderland!
A winter storm warning remains in effect for the rest of Sunday in Essex, Middlesex, Worcester, Suffolk and Norfolk counties. A warning is also in place throughout southern New Hampshire. These are the areas that have the greatest risk of snow accumulation of at least 6 inches.
CBS Boston
What remains of Sunday's storm?
We'll get a final round of snow across central and eastern Massachusetts this afternoon. This could drop a few extra inches and bring some of the first snow accumulation to areas near the coast. Snow will start falling in central Massachusetts (Worcester County) around 4 p.m
The trailing edge will continue to move east this evening and by 7-8pm the snow will be almost gone.
So, depending on where you live, it would be safe to start the cleaning process between 4-8pm tonight.
CBS Boston
Precipitation type
The further inland you live, the lighter and fluffier the snow will be.
CBS Boston Graphic
Near the coast, temperatures (inside 495) will be closer to 32 degrees or a little higher and the snow will be heavier/wetter.
On the immediate coast from Boston down through Cape Cod and the islands, it will mainly rain until the winds shift to the north late in the storm on Sunday.
How much snow?
Final expected amounts of snowfall:
CBS Boston Graphic
6-12 inches north and west of I-95 and Route 128 including much of Essex, Middlesex and Worcester counties as well as southern New Hampshire
A narrow 3-6 inch area from Cape Ann to the northwest of Boston and extending south into inland (northern) Plymouth and Bristol counties.
1-3 inches from Boston through the South Shore, South Coast and up to the Cape Cod Canal
Very little (if any) for much of Cape Cod and the islands
Wind effects
Wind won't be a big factor away from the coast.
Northeast winds will peak between 30-45 mph just offshore and 45-55 mph over Cape Cod and the islands.
This is certainly not the strongest wind event we've seen in recent weeks, but it may be enough to cause some outages in heavy/wet snow areas.
Tides are astronomically low this weekend. Therefore, the threat of any major coastal flooding is low.
Flash freeze is expected
Sunday's storm will also bring a flash freeze.
As winds shift northerly in the afternoon and evening, sub-freezing air will be drawn down the coast.
CBS Boston Graphic
Temperatures will drop 5 to 10 degrees within minutes, and temperatures in many areas that were in the mid to upper 30s will quickly drop into the 20s causing any untreated surfaces to freeze.
Patriots game predictions
Of course, we can't forget that the Patriots will play their final home game on Sunday afternoon in Gillette!
Light snow will fall in parts of the game and temperatures will drop from the low 30s to the 20s.
The next storm is on the horizon
Finally, unfortunately, the stormy pattern will continue over the next week.
Another strong storm will approach New England late Tuesday. This may start out briefly as a mix but then quickly changes into a windswept rainstorm.
There could be several inches of rain Tuesday night into Wednesday, causing the snow to melt quickly and undoubtedly a lot of flooding.
More on this to come.
As always, our WBZ Weather team will be covering the entire event on WBZ-TV, WBZ.com and CBS News Boston.
