Massachusetts News

Here’s what local meteorologists are saying about the potential snowstorm Wednesday

The National Weather Service says it's "confident" New England will see the effects of a fourth nor'easter this month. And there might be a fifth.

Snow falls as a couple takes a stroll Wednesday on Main Street in Lenox. Ben Garver / The Berkshire Eagle via AP

By Nik DeCosta-Klipa

2 minutes to read

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It looks like the groundhog was right.

Despite what the calendar says, the winter weather isn’t quite over. In addition to unseasonably cold temperatures, local meteorologists are forecasting that the month’s fourth — and a potential fifth — nor’easter will hit New England within the next week.

The National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon that it’s “confident” a coastal storm will impact New England late Wednesday into Thursday, though the exact magnitude and breadth of the system remains uncertain.

“There’s still a lot to see with how this storm moves, but our current thoughts are that Boston and areas to the south of it could see some snow,” NWS meteorologist Kim Buttrick told The Boston Globe, putting the possibility of accumulation in the Boston area at 30 percent.

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Forecasters for the service said Monday morning that temperatures Wednesday will be borderline for snow accumulation. However, their latest projections showed potential snowfall of 4 to 5 inches in southeastern Massachusetts, with diminishing amounts toward the northwestern part of the state.

NBC Boston meteorologist Michael Page said Monday that it’s a “good bet” that most of the Boston area could get at least 3 inches.

Flooding is also a concern for coastal Massachusetts due to high astronomical tides and wind.

Meteorologists have been tracking the storm since last week’s nor’easter, which resulted in heavy snow and roughly 160,000 power outages across the state. According to WBZ’s Eric Fisher, this week’s storm doesn’t look as intense, but the system and accompanying cold temperatures could conspire to result in snow. Fisher added Monday morning that the overnight forecast showed only increasing odds of plowable snow Wednesday.

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Forecasters said Sunday afternoon that the latest models had shifted, making a potential storm more likely to occur than previously predicted.

“This would mean some snow in eastern MA, generally light,” WCVB meteorologist Mike Wankum tweeted. “We’ll have to monitor this shift to see if it’s a new trend.”

In addition, there is also the possibility of a fifth March nor’easter toward the end of next weekend, forecasters said.

NBC Boston meteorologist Chris Gloninger isn’t the only one waving the white flag on this winter. But as Gloninger also noted, as rough as March has been, it doesn’t take a particularly long memory to know that things could be worse.

https://twitter.com/ChrisGNBCBoston/status/975462965192331264