February 2, 2022 by Meteorologist Michael Page
Just days after a historic blizzard on the South Shore, another storm lies ahead for the end of this week.
Unlike the last storm, this will bring an icy mixture of precipitation types.
Overview
This next storm is an area of low pressure that will ride along a cold front.
That means over the course of the storm, temperatures will be dropping, which will allow a messy mixture to develop.
Phase 1: Rain
The first phase of the storm falls on Thursday as rain.
Periodic wet weather will move through with temperatures in the 40s, so we'll actually keep melting some of that weekend snow.
There won't be any issues traveling around on the roads during the day, nor at night, with temperatures safely above freezing.
Phase 2: The Mix
Things start going downhill between about 7 and 9 PM Friday morning.
That's when temperatures will start to fall, and our precipitation will change to ice.
This messy mixture of sleet and freezing rain will continue from the morning right into early afternoon.
Remember that sleet looks like little balls of ice, pinging off the house and car.
Freezing rain looks like rain as it comes down, but it freezes on contact. This is quite dangerous, so use extreme caution if driving Friday morning.
Collectively we should be hoping for more sleet than freezing rain; that is a little easier to navigate.
Part 3: Freeze Up
Mid to late Friday afternoon, just as the precipitation winds down, the air may become cold enough for an end as snow. It doesn't look like we'd see a lot of snow, since the storm will be ending, but a dusting-2" is possible.
More problematic will be the freeze up of any left over liquid on the roads.
Crews will no doubt be treating the roadways, but use caution if you need to be out and about.
The sun returns this weekend, but temperatures will stay chilly, with teens likely when we wake up Saturday morning!