Heads up! We’re tracking rain and snow for parts of Massachusetts as early as Wednesday night.
As we move through this Wednesday, expect increasing clouds as a clipper system moves into New England. Sometime after 8 p.m., we’ll begin seeing snow developing over parts of western and central Massachusetts.
Winter weather advisories, winter storm warning for parts of Vermont
A winter weather advisory is in effect for western and central Massachusetts from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday. A few communities under the advisory could see up to 5-plus inches of snow. A winter storm warning is also in effect for parts of southwestern Vermont.
How people in Massachusetts were preparing
Salt trucks headed out at 8 p.m. in Fitchburg, Leominster and Worcester, to make sure roads were driveable.
“We’re gonna be salting the streets, getting them pre-treated so that, as this picks up overnight, it won’t be as hard to move to the side,” Fitchburg dispatcher Michael East said.
In Fitchburg, residents lined the aisles of Rocky’s Ace Hardware in search of salt bags and car accessories to alleviate the icy elements.
“I think it’s a lot busier than it was last year at this time,” said Adam Cote, the store manager.
How much will it snow in Massachusetts & New Hampshire?
As for Boston, the threat for snow isn’t looking great at all! This event will likely remain a cold rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The highest accumulations will be northwest and west of the city, especially west of Interstate 495.
CLICK HERE for the updated timeline, snow maps and travel impacts for this week's storm
Is my school closed or delayed?
Several delayed starts have been announced for Thursday morning in Massachusetts, and at least a few schools are closing. See the school closing and delay list for your area here.
Snow squalls possible Thursday in Boston
By lunchtime or so on Thursday, keep an eye to the sky. We could see a snow squall moving into Boston, creating a burst of wet snowflakes as the event is begins to wind down. We don’t expect many accumulations from the squall since temperatures will be well above freezing and we will have already seen rain for much of the event in the city.
High temperatures in Boston will be in the lower 40s on Thursday.
Winter storm to bring strong winds
Let’s also talk about the winds. They’ll be picking up Thursday into Friday, with gusts up to 45-50 mph at times. In fact, a wind advisory is in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 10 p.m. Thursday for the Cape and the Islands and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday for western and central Massachusetts.
By Friday, we’ll still have blustery winds, with gusts to at least 30-35 mph. High temperatures will be around freezing, but the winds will make it feel like the teens and 20s.
Dry weather is expected for the weekend with highs in the 30s and 40s.