WINTERMISSION
With Act One of wintry weather in the rearview, Valley braces for a second storm headed our way
The month of March is living up to the old axiom of coming in like a lion, as back-to-back roaring weekend storms have the potential to dump a combined 12 to 18 inches of wet, heavy snow on northern Rhode Island.
Following Saturday’s snowstorm, which dropped between four to six inches of snow on the region, another, more powerful blast of winter weather is expected this evening into Monday morning, according to Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Mass.
“It has the potential. We are still kind of in that point where we’re trying to see how this storm is going to evolve, that will affect our next one,” Williams said on Saturday morning, regarding tonight’s anticipated blockbuster.
On Saturday morning, Williams and the team of meteorologists at NWS Boston were anticipating the next round of nasty winter weather to move into the region by this evening, bringing with it a steady barrage of wet, heavy snow into the overnight hours and early Monday, before tapering off by mid-morning.
Once Mother Nature’s latest sucker punch of snow winds down, it’s expected that in its wake will be 8 to 12 inches of the white stuff. However, Williams was quick to note those totals are contingent on where the rain/snow line and melting line establishes itself, noting “it’s still in flux. Much could change.”
“This is also expected to be wetter and heavier…” Williams said of the forecast snowfall, noting its differ- ences from the lighter, fluffier variety the valley received last Wednesday night. “We could be seeing up to 12 inches. The potential does exist (for power outages) and is probably greater with Sunday night into
Monday.”
With the snow’s consistency likely to resemble a paste, the potential exists that it will glue itself to tree branches and power lines, which are already struggling to hold the weight of the snowfall from Saturday morning’s storm. Thus, Williams said, power disruptions and outages are a distinct possibility.
As for winds, Williams says “we’re not looking at a huge wind threat,” as gusts along the southern coast will likely peak in the range of 30 miles per hour. Closer to the Blackstone Valley, the storm will have some “breezy” winds, but he’s “not expecting that to be a huge issue … The issues are mostly going to come from the snow.”
That said, any wind gusts would only cause already weakened tree branches to come down, thus furthering the potential for power outages.
As for Monday morning’s rush hour, Williams advises motorists to give themselves some extra time, as the storm will be winding down when the tail end of the snow is expected to depart the region by the Monday morning commute.
“We could have some issue on the tail end affecting the commute. We encourage people to give themselves extra time,” he said. “There will be quite a bit of snow out there. Make sure they’re clearing all their windows off, taking extra time.”