A significant winter storm is expected to affect Massachusetts Sunday into Monday. But exact snowfall amounts remain uncertain.
StormTeam 5 Meteorologist Mike Wankum said “predicted snow totals can change dramatically” between Wednesday and Sunday but that it is the “perfect scenario for getting a big storm to develop.”
The worst of the storm is expected in Texas through the mid-Atlantic states as ice and power outages are expected.
The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Associated Press.
“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.
Adam Frederick, amateur meteorologist known as New England Weather Guy, expects those in the south to feel like it’s New England’s Blizzard of 78. But he doesn’t expect actual blizzard conditions in New England.
Still, he’s warning New England residents that heavy snow is expected and to be prepared to have school canceled Monday and Tuesday.
Here’s what meteorologists and forecasters across Massachusetts are predicting as of Wednesday night.
How much snow could Mass. get Sunday night?
Frederick is predicting anywhere between 2 inches to 10 inches.
“Maybe more, maybe less,” he wrote, adding on Wednesday that he has “models showing anything from 2-4 inches up to 18-20 inches for us up here.”
Snow chances for New England have increased significantly in the last 24 hours, according to NBC Boston.
“Our probability of 6 inches of snow or more for Boston has increased to now a 40% to 60% chance Sunday into Monday,” the news outlet reported, adding that the snow is expected to be fluffy.
Dave Hayes The Weather Nut stated that the storm is moderate to major with some possibility of double-digit snowfall accumulations.
“While timing, potential snowfall amounts, and the rest of the forecast are still up in the air, I will say that you should be prepared to stay inside Sunday and Monday, and potentially Tuesday as well,” Frederick wrote.
Bad travel expected across U.S.
People with travel plans should consider moving them if possible, both Frederick and the Boston Globe’s Dave Epstein warned.
Even if the storm doesn’t hit Massachusetts, it could move south and hit New York and Washington, D.C. — still causing major issues for airlines.
“I would rebook now if you can and either leave Saturday or late Tuesday,” Frederick said on Facebook.
When will snow forecasts be ready?
National Weather Service forecasters said they “won’t be able to lock in to a forecast with confidence until Friday,” including expectations for snow totals.
“So bottom line, while there is certainly a risk of a major snowstorm for (Southern New England) this is a day 4-5 forecast and a subtle shift back to the south would keep the significant impacts to the south,” the weather service stated.
Hayes expects to talk about the snow forecast on his Facebook page Thursday morning. But he warned there is still a lot up in the air.
And Epstein also stated his forecasts wouldn’t be complete until Friday.
“I know this can be frustrating, but this is the nature of long-range forecasting,“ he wrote for the Globe. ”The best information right now is that we have potential for a storm late in the weekend. I am comfortable with this.”
