Winter makes return to Rhode Island, if only briefly

This week’s taste of spring, with temperatures from Wednesday through Friday climbing into the low 50s, is expected to be an appetizer leading to a main course of near-record warmth early next week.

But between then, residents in the region will have to contend with a blast of winter weather that’s expected to drop up to eight inches of snow on northern Rhode Island.

Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the white stuff will begin falling between 7 and 10 tonight, with the heaviest bands expected to make their way through between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. At its peak, the storm could drop between one and two inches of snow per hour in the overnight hours.

“We’re watching this to see how it’s really going to develop. Right now, it’s looking like there could be four to eight inches in the Providence to Woonsocket area...” Buttrick said. “If you’re traveling out at night, and some people have to, exercise caution.”

But while Mother Nature is forecast to bring more than a half-foot of snow into Sunday morning, winter-weary residents will be relieved to know that the storm is what Buttrick describes as having “just one hazard: snow.”

“Winds aren’t really going to be a factor,” Buttrick said. “The only caveat being if it does come down heavy and accumulates on tree limbs or wires, there is the potential for power outages.”

This quick-hitting storm will depart just as suddenly as it arrives, as the precipitation is projected to wind down around 7 Sunday morning. Aiding denizens in their snow-re- moval efforts will be the fact that temperatures on Sunday are expected to rise into the low- to mid-40s, which will help in the melting process.

But whatever doesn’t melt on Sunday will surely be a distant memory by early next week, Buttrick says, as highs on Monday will reach into the upper 40s before a shot of near-record warmth on Tuesday and Wednesday. Buttrick says high temperatures on both days could reach the low- to mid-60s.