Snow set to hit this AM
Old Man Winter is rearing back to throw a sucker-punch of early season snow, as a storm today into Sunday could drop as much as six inches on the Blackstone Valley.
Matt Doody, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that the first storm of the season is bearing down on New England, likely to bring with it four to six inches of wet snow from early this morning to early Sunday morning. The storm’s height is expected to be this afternoon into evening.
“The afternoon into the evening is when it’s heaviest,” Doody said. “You’re looking at up to six inches over the course of probably 12 to 24 hours. It’s not going to be a real heavy pounding snow, it’ll come down harder than others, but this is not one of those snowfall events where it’s hammering snow.”
The NWS prognosticates that snow is likely to start around 4 this morning in southern Rhode Island and around 7 a.m. in northern sections of the state. While total snow accumulations of four to six inches are expected, the NWS cautions that there’s a “low
probability” for the central hills of Rhode Island and Massachusetts to hit the jackpot, where an isolated seven or eight inches could accumulate.
While the storm is fairly early in the winter weather season, Doody says this is “absolutely not unusual at all.”
“It’s December. This is when we start to get these things,” he said.
While the snow will be on the wetter side, rather than light and fluffy flakes, Doody said it won’t be a “real cement-like” substance, which should reduce the chance for tree limbs or branches or power lines to be brought down. Also aiding in preventing falling limbs and branches is the wind, which Doody said will be light out of the north and northeast, with a gusts up to 20 miles per hour.
The storm’s core is to our southeast, as it’s been gliding up the coast from the mid-Atlantic, and thus the “snow shield” will begin in southern Rhode Island and trend northward early this morning. There’s a low risk for rain or sleet to mix inland, but Doody says the best chance is in southeastern Massachusetts and on Cape Cod and the islands. In the Valley, he said, the highest likelihood is that “it’s all snow.”
While traveling will be difficult, with reduced visibility and slick streets, Doody says “this is one we’ve seen in the past.”
“Any time snow is falling, you need to take some precaution. Slow down and keep extra distance,” he cautioned to drivers.
When the storm departs New England early Sunday morning, the aftermath will include clear to partly cloudy days on Sunday and Monday with high temperatures in the upper-30s, which Doody said could aid in a gradual snow melt.
In cities and towns around the state, storm preparation was already underway Fri- day. In Woonsocket, trucks pre-treated the roads with brine to prevent snow from sticking to city streets. A citywide parking ban was also announced from 2 this morning until 6 p.m. Sunday. Onstreet parking is prohibited during that window to allow crews to effectively and safely clear roads.
RIDOT officials said the Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division has a fleet of 142 trucks equipped with plows and sanders ready to be deployed. Additionally, RIDOT engages private contractors for other pieces of snow-removal equipment as conditions warrant, making a combined force of up to 450 trucks statewide.