Weekend Snow Blast Before Bitter Polar Vortex Cold: See Latest Totals

MASSACHUSETTS — A speedy storm moving south of New England will combine with arctic air draining down from Canada to deliver a fluffy thumping of snow for many across Massachusetts this weekend with up to 6 inches expected later Sunday into Monday morning.

"There is increasing potential for light-to-moderate snow Sunday afternoon into Monday for southern New England," the National Weather Service said on Friday morning.

While far from a blockbuster, the storm will make for tricky travel Sunday night and for those who will be commuting on Monday morning. Fortunately for schools looking to avoid adding snow make-up days this winter, Monday is already the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday so superintendents will not have to make a call on a two-hour delay or day off from the classrooms.

The Sunday night snow will be the first punch in a one-two winter wallop heading to New England in the coming days with polar vortex cold bringing in the harshest weather of the season early next week.

Friday was set to be a seasonable and fairly pleasant day with temperatures in the upper 30s under sunny skies with little wind factor. On Saturday, temperatures will warm into the mid 40s but that will bring with it a bout of rain late in the afternoon and into the evening.

The NWS said on Friday that Saturday's rain will likely be heaviest between 5 and 8 p.m. with lingering showers into the night. Winds will kick up from the south with gusts up to 20 miles per hour.

Sunday should start with highs reaching near 40 with sun in the morning and increasing clouds in the afternoon. The NWS said snow will arrive after 4 p.m. with the chance of rain or a wintry mix at the coast to start. Snow will continue for several hours into the overnight with a widespread 2 to 4 inches predicted — with some areas getting up to as much as 6 inches of new snow as cold air "fluffs" the totals later in the night.

Monday will be the beginning of a bitter stretch with highs on MLK Jr. Day reaching into the 20s before it fails to get out of the teens for most on Tuesday and Wednesday with overnight lows in the single digits and wind chills below zero.

A slow warming trend begins on Thursday with highs back into the upper 20s.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)