Weekend Outlook: January 9-12, 2026

A pair of storm systems will impact our weather over the next few days, but mostly with rain, not snow.

It’s been fairly dry so far this winter, so we’re still experiencing drought conditions across much of the region. Image provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center.

High pressure will slide off to the east tonight, with winds shifting into the southwest, bringing some milder air in. Friday will be relatively mild (by January standards), but clouds will be streaming in ahead of a low pressure system headed for the Great Lakes. As that system moves into Quebec some showers are likely ahead of it Friday evening before a cold front moves through overnight. That front will stall out south of New England allowing some cooler air to move back in. Meanwhile, another low pressure system will head towards the Great Lakes, trying to bring that front back northward as a warm front. As that system moves into Ontario, a secondary low pressure system will develop off the Mid-Atlantic coastline., preventing that warm front from moving in, and giving the new low pressure area a path eastward. This will bring more substantial and widespread rain in for late Saturday into Sunday morning. However, with the cold air in place, precipitation may start as some sleet or freezing rain well north and west of Boston, mainly interior southern New Hampshire and northern Worcester County, as the rain moves in later Saturday. A few additional rain or snow showers in the afternoon as an upper-level low pressure area crosses the Northeast, then high pressure builds in for Monday with cooler and drier conditions. For the Patriots game Sunday evening, it should be mostly cloudy at kickoff, winds out of the northwest at 5-10 mph, with a game time temperature around 37, dropping into the lower 30s by the end of the game.

Much of the area could receive between half an inch and one inch of rainfall this weekend. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Thursday night: Becoming partly to mostly cloudy. Low 22-29.

Friday: More clouds than sun, becoming breezy in the afternoon, showers possible towards evening. High 41-48.

Friday night: Cloudy with showers likely, mainly before midnight. Temperatures continue to rise until midnight, then drop to 33-40 by daybreak.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with rain developing from southwest to northeast, possibly starting as some sleet or freezing rain well north and west of Boston. High 40-47.

Saturday night: Any mixed precipitation changes to all well rain north and west of Boston, periods of rain elsewhere. Low 33-40.

Sunday: Rain ends by midday, mostly cloudy with a few more rain or snow showers possible late in the day. High 38-45.

Sunday night: Gradual clearing, breezy. Low 23-30.

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny, breezy. High 32-39.

Snow Kidding, a White Sunday is on the Way

If you live in the Merrimack Valley, and points north and west, you already saw your first snowstorm of the season a little more than a week ago. The rest of us get that experience Sunday morning.

Areas well north and west of Boston got their first snowstorm about 10 days ago. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

A complex low pressure system is going to impact much of Southern New England for a good chunk of Sunday, including the Patriots/Bills game in Foxborough. An upper level disturbance is moving across Ontario this evening while a surface low pressure system takes shape over the Mid-Atlantic states. If conditions were a little more favorable, this could become a blockbuster snowstorm, but that won’t be the case here. We’re already seeing a little rain developing across parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including the New York City area, but as the system moves off the Virginia coastline overnight and strengthens colder air will move in, changing the precipitation over to snow. We should see snow spreading across our area a little after midnight, though it will probably be mixed with rain across parts of Cape Cod and the Islands to start. Snow showers and some periods of steady light snow are expected for the rest of the overnight and into Sunday morning. The bulk of the snow will be found south of the Mass Pike, with just some snow showers to the north, though the latest models are showing a little bit more snow to the north of Boston as well, as the system is coming in a little farther north. As the system starts to pull away by midday Sunday we’ll see the snow taper off, and gusty northwest to north winds will develop, ushering colder air in. Some ocean-effect snow may continue across parts of Cape Cod into the late afternoon or evening, but it should wind down at that point.

Snow moves in overnight, and ends Sunday afternoon/evening. Loop provided by WeatherBell.

This storm will not be that big of a deal for most of us, and shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the region, though if you’re heading to and from Foxborough there will be a bit more of an impact. If you’re arriving early to tailgate, expect to do it in the snow. As for the game, the snow should be winding down towards halftime, but for the 2nd half it’ll be windy and turning colder, so plan ahead for that it you’ll be sitting in the stands.

It might looks like this in Foxborough again Sunday morning. Image provided by the New England Patriots.

As for amounts, here’s what we’re thinking:

Central NH: Less than 1″
Southern NH/NH Seacoast/North Shore/Merrimack Valley: Around 1″
MetroWest/Metro Boston/Central MA: 1-2″
Northern RI/Northern portions of Plymouth/Bristol County (North of Route 44): 1-3″
Outer Cape Cod/Nantucket: 2-4″
Southern RI/Southern portions of Plymouth/Bristol County (South of Route 44)/Upper Cape Cod/Martha’s Vineyard: 3-5″

Snowfall amounts will be generally light to borderline moderate. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

You’ll have plenty of time to clean off the driveway after the snow is done, and you’ll want to do that at that point. With temperatures plunging into the teens for much of the region Sunday night, if you wait until Monday morning to clean off the driveway (or your car), it will be a lot more difficult.