BOSTON, MA – Massachusetts is in for a beatdown this week, as the unrelenting cold snap bearing down on the state gives way to a harsh, blizzard-like storm later in the week. Meteorologists say a "bomb cyclone" – named for its rapid drop in pressure and extreme strengthening – could land off the New England coast, bringing potentially damaging winds and up to 12-15 inches of snow to much of eastern Massachusetts.
The storm is expected to bring tons more snow than originally expected, along with extremely windy conditions to much of the Atlantic Seaboard Wednesday night to Friday, and will likely undergo "rapid" strengthening from Thursday to Friday. Updated local snow totals went from as high as 8 inches this morning to 15 inches later in the afternoon.
The storm is expected to start around dawn Thursday and last through the evening, finishing around 10 p.m. School closures are worth keeping an eye for Thursday and Friday.
Also being introduced into the forecast are damaging wind gusts putting the area at risk for power outages ahead of a renewal of arctic air Friday and Saturday. According to updated forecasts from the National Weather Service, the highest winds will hit the Cape, topping off at around 70 miles per hour. Farther north, winds will likely be in the 50-60 mph range, with 55-mph gusts forecasted for the Boston area.
A winter storm watch is in effect for much of the Massachusetts coast and Southeastern Mass. Thursday.
NWS BostonThe latest forecasts also call for heavier snowfall than initially expected. The National Weather Service says the heaviest snowfall will be about 8-12 inches from Newburyport down the coast to New Bedford, while local forecasters are calling for that to be as high 12-15 inches. Central Massachusetts will likely see 6-8 inches, and the snowfall is expected to taper the farther west you get. The Cape should see about 4-6 inches.
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