Our active weather pattern continues through the weekend and that dreaded “S” word features prominently.

A wavy frontal system sits across the region this afternoon, separating the mild air across much of southern New England from the seasonable chill to the north. That front will sag southward as a cold front later today, bringing the cool air back. A wave of low pressure will ride along the front, bringing another round of rain in for late tonight and Friday morning. There could be some sleet or freezing rain across parts of central New Hampshire where temperatures will be close to freezing, so if you’ll be in that area tonight or Friday morning, use some caution. The rain should end during the afternoon, but clouds will hang tough Friday night into Saturday. A weak upper-level disturbance swings through on Saturday, possibly generating a few additional rain or snow showers.

As we get into Sunday, we turn our attention to a low pressure area moving across the Tennessee Valley. The system will head towards the eastern Great Lakes while a secondary area of low pressure develops off the Mid-Atlantic coastline. We’ll see rain developing across the region Sunday morning, likely changing to snow from north to south at some point Sunday afternoon or night. Everything winds down Monday morning as the storm pulls away. There are plenty of variables that still need to be worked out with this storm, including how close the system passes to New England, and when the change from rain to snow occurs, which will have a big impact on the snow forecast. At this point, it’s safe to say that plowable snow is likely for a good chunk of the region. We’ll try to post an update on Saturday, when things should be much clearer.

Thursday night: Cloudy with rain redeveloping, possibly some sleet or freezing rain across central New Hampshire. Low 32-39.

Friday: Rain tapers off to showers, ending in the afternoon. High 37-44.

Friday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 30-37.

Saturday: Plenty of clouds with a few rain or snow showers possible. High 36-43.

Saturday night: Cloudy, rain may develop late at night. Low 28-35.

Sunday: Cloudy with rain changing to snow from north to south, becoming breezy. High 34-41.

Sunday night: Cloudy and windy with snow likely, tapering off late at night. Low 21-28.

Monday: Mostly cloudy and windy, any lingering snow ends early. High 27-34.

Another potent storm system is on the way, with quite a bit of rain and wind expected.

Before we get to the stormy weather, high pressure remains in control tonight and a good chunk of Friday with dry weather. Clouds will stream in on Friday as low pressure heads toward the Great Lakes once again. This storm will be fairly similar to the one we had a couple of days ago. However, the airmass in place ahead of it is not as cold, and the snowcover is mostly gone, so this one will be mainly rain for most of the region. There could be some light snow right at the start from central Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire, but it won’t last long. We’re also not expecting as much rain from this storm, though there will still be quite a bit, with widespread totals of 1-2 inches likely. This will worsen flooding issues across the region. Flood Watches have been issued for much of the area once again. Winds will also be gusty, but again, not quite to the magnitude of the last storm. Sustained winds of 20-30 mph are expected, with gusts upwards of 40 mph inland, and 50-60 mph along the coast. In addition, some coastal flooding is also possible at the time of high tide Saturday morning/early afternoon.

The rain should come to an end by midday Saturday, then we’ll start to clear out, with high pressure building in for Saturday night into Monday with windy and colder conditions. Even though it’s beyond the range of this outlook, we feel it’s worth mentioning that the models are showing the potential for another storm to impact the region on Tuesday, and this one could be more white than wet for much of the region. We’ll get into that in more detail in our Weekly Outlook early Monday morning.

Thursday night: Partly cloudy through the evening, clearing overnight. Low 27-34.

Friday: Sunny in the morning, clouds move back in during the afternoon. High 39-46.

Friday night: Cloudy and becoming windy with rain developing, possibly starting as some snow from central Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire. Rain could be heavy at times. Low 30-37 during the evening, temperatures rise overnight.

Saturday: Steady rain ending in the morning, a few showers possible through the afternoon with some late-day clearing, windy. High 51-58 in the morning, temperatures drop in the afternoon.

Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy, windy. Low 25-32.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy, colder. High 32-39.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, breezy. Low 17-24.

Monday: Partly sunny. High 29-36.

Your luck has run out. Our first snowstorm of the winter is on the way this weekend.

High pressure builds in for tonight and Friday, with clearing skies, breezy, and colder conditions. Clouds star to move back in Friday night and Saturday as low pressure moves across the Deep South and into the Southeast. It’ll move up the coast on Saturday, likely passing south of the region on Sunday, while high pressure in southern Quebec slides off to the east. There is still some uncertainty as what exactly will transpire, so some of the next paragraph is subject to change.

While the high over southern Quebec will provide us with plenty of cold air to start, it’s not in the perfect position to provide the region with enough cold air to keep everything all snow, especially near the coastline. Winds will be out of the east, allowing milder air to move in off of the relatively mild Atlantic. (To get mostly snow, you want to high to be a little farther west, so you get northeast winds across our area). There is also still some uncertainty as to exact track the low pressure area takes and how close it gets to the coastline, which will also lead to some rain in spots, especially near the coast. We should see the snow developing Saturday evening, likely starting as a mix or even just plain rain along the coast from Boston southward since winds will be out of the east. Snow will continue through the night, but it may stay rain or a mix right along the immediate coastline for a while. By mid-morning Sunday, as the low passes by, winds will shift from the east into the north, allowing the cold air to push back in, changing everything to all snow, even across Cape Cod and the Islands before everything winds down by evening. The rain and milder temperatures keep accumulations lower near the coast, but inland, this will not be a blockbuster storm, as the snow , while falling for a while, will only be light to occasionally moderate for most of the time. So, how much are we looking at?

Cape Cod: Coating – 2″
I-95 corridor (Boston-Providence and points South+East): 2-5″, lowest along the coast
Areas North+ West of I-95: 4-8″ with isolated totals to 10″ possible.

Everything winds down Sunday night, and high pressure builds back in for Monday with sunshine and seasonably chilly conditions.

Thursday night: Clear skies, breezy. Low 17-24.

Friday: Plenty of sunshine, breezy during the morning. High 29-36.

Friday night: Partly cloudy. Low 20-27.

Saturday: Becoming mostly cloudy. High 32-39.

Saturday night: Snow developing, mixed with or changing to rain along the coast, becoming windy. Low 25-32 during the evening, temperatures hold steady or rise a bit overnight.

Sunday: Windy with snow likely, except rain or mix changing to snow along the coast by midday. High 32-39, temperatures rapidly drop along the coast in the afternoon.

Sunday night: Any lingering snow ends in the evening, some clearing late at night, winds rapidly diminish during the evening. Low 13-20.

Monday: Becoming mostly sunny. High 31-38.