Rain? Snow? The dreaded slush? All are coming to the Greater Boston area, but which one people will see depends on their location.
A quick-moving system moved into the region Friday morning, bringing some rain and snow to the area with it.
“The question is going to be: Where is that rain-snow line setting up?” Epstein told GBH’s Morning Edition cohosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel Friday morning. “I think it's going to set up somewhere around the I-95 belt, or the 128 belt. Everything east of there will get probably nothing to maybe a slushy coating.”
Parts of the 128 belt could get an inch or two of accumulation. Northern Worcester County, including Fitchburg, Leominster, Groton and into Manchester, New Hampshire, may get between two and five inches of snow.
People on the road during the day should be mindful that smaller roads, especially in Central Massachusetts, may be slippery or slushy.
Not much change to the snow map for today. Most snow is clearly north and west of Boston. Coating to 2-inch zones basically coast out to 128/495 area. Roads have less from treatment/traffic. Sun angle is too low to make much difference this time of year. pic.twitter.com/tlR9sw2nOe
— Dave Epstein (@growingwisdom) January 6, 2023
“I think the roads around Greater Boston will be fine throughout the afternoon, only because temperatures are going to be what we call marginal for precipitation,” Epstein said. “Once you get west of 128, well, temperatures will be a little bit colder this afternoon. The snow will be coming down a little heavier. So there'll be slushy accumulation there in some of the main roads.”
Precipitation is expected to end this afternoon, Epstein said.
“It won't ruin your night, but it may spoil the commute,” he said. “We’ll probably see the back edge between about 4 and 7 p.m.”
The end of the storm will move through Springfield, then Worcester, then Boston, and finally through Rockport and Gloucester.
“Even in Boston, it probably ends as a little bit of snow with some of that light slushy accumulation,” Epstein said.
Overnight temperatures will hover around freezing, Epstein said, but not much colder. Saturday will see a mix of clouds and sun with highs in the low 40s, and Sunday will be slightly colder, with highs in the 30s.
“It’s right back above average here as we head for Monday and Tuesday,” Epstein said. “I think Tuesday we could be into the 40s once again. Just an incredible stretch of mild weather.”
