LATEST FORECAST: Slightly More Snow, Less Rain Predicted

Photo credit: National Weather Service.

UPDATED at 4:03 p.m. Saturday:

The National Weather Service is now predicting that the final snowfall numbers from this weekend’s storm will be slightly more than earlier expected.

On Saturday afternoon, the NWS increased the snowfall prediction slightly for much of Eastern Massachusetts.

The NWS is predicting:

• 4-6 inches of snow for Central Massachusetts, MetroWest and Merrimack Valley.
• 3-4 inches for the North Shore, Boston, Metro Boston and most of the South Shore.
• 2-3 inches for the portion of the South Shore closest to Cape Cod and the Islands.
• Less than an inch on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Central Massachusetts and most of Eastern Massachusetts is now expected to only get snow or very little rain and ice until Sunday morning.

In Southeastern Massachusetts, the snow is expected to change to ice, freezing rain or rain late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

The precipitation should be over between 7 and 9 a.m. Sunday.

Original article posted at 7:39 a.m. Saturday:

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory as Massachusetts is bracing for another round of snow.

The Weather Channel is predicting snow showers will begin by mid-afternoon Saturday across most of Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Snow will become steady in the evening hours before ending late Saturday night.

Snow will change to ice and then rain overnight. As much as an inch of rain could fall before precipitation ends by noon on Sunday.

The latest snowfall estimates from the NWS show that most of Greater Boston will likely get 3-4 inches of snow before the changeover to rain overnight. The South Shore will get less snow, the Worcester area and near the New Hampshire border will get more snow and Cape Cod and the Islands will get nearly all rain.

Though the storm won’t bring the snowfall totals that we’ve seen over the past month, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is concerned that an inch of rain could exacerbate roof problems. There have been more than 100 full or partial roof collapses over the past week, according to MEMA.

MEMA is asking people to clear roofs (especially flat roofs) of snow and ice before the storm starts on Saturday afternoon.

Check MEMA’s Roof Collapse Safety page that includes information about how to safely clear snow and ice from roofs, how to recognize roof problems and safety tips.

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