January 5, 2023 By Meteorologist Michael Page
After a series of mainly rain storms in December, Greater Boston is set to see its first snow storm of the winter this weekend.
While all snow will fall through the interior, areas near the coast, including the South Shore, will face a wintry mix.
The Timing: This storm will be well timed, in terms of avoiding commutes.
The storm will begin after dinner on Saturday, and will continue through Sunday. The storm ends Sunday night.
What to Expect: Through the interior, roughly outside of Route 128 and I-95, this will mainly be a snow storm. Here snowfall totals will likely range from 6-12″ depending on the exact location.
Closer to the coast, inside of I-95 and Route 128, the first part of this storm will fall as a mixture of rain and snow. This includes Hingham and Cohasset.
During this first part of the storm in Eastern Massachusetts, from Saturday night through midday Sunday, winds will be blowing in out of the east and northeast, transporting warmer maritime air over land.
That means temperatures will likely range from 32-35, and precipitation will be flipping between rain and snow. That will slow the rate of accumulation here.
Gusts will reach 35-45 MPH during this time, with the highest winds right at the immediate coastline in neighborhoods like Crow Point and along Jerusalem Road.
Around midday Sunday, into Sunday night, as the storm pulls away, winds will turn around to the north and northwest. That will draw in colder air, even to the coastline.
As that happens the South Shore will go to all snow, and a fluffier snow at that.
This is when most of the accumulation from the immediate coast on the North Shore, down through Boston, and on to the South Shore happens, giving us final totals in the 3-6″ range, as it looks currently.
Where the cold air takes longest to arrive, on Cape Cod, snowfall totals will likely be in the 1-3″ range.
How to Prepare: Given that this storm is arriving mainly on a Sunday, a day off for most, impacts should be limited.
Still, there are a few things you can do to prepare, since there hasn’t been much snow yet this season.
Make sure you have snow stakes in the ground, for example. The ground is still soft enough to get those in, given December’s warmth.
The first part of the weekend is also a good chance to bring any of your outdoor holiday decorations inside, before the snow falls and things get messier.