Icy, Snowy, Messy Thursday Mix Across RI: See Storm Timeline

RHODE ISLAND — A quick-moving and potentially very tricky winter storm is on track to hit Rhode Island with a mix of snow, ice and freezing glaze at a very challenging time for those planning travel and determining whether to cancel school on Thursday.

While snow totals are not forecast to be particularly high — 2 to 4 inches across the state with higher amounts in Providence Kent County and lesser amounts in Washington County — it will be a messy one with the National Weather Service saying on Wednesday that snow will rapidly overspread the region between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Thursday.

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"The snow may be briefly heavy with 2 to 3 inches in just a couple hours," the NWS said. "Snow then changes to sleet/light freezing rain with diminishing intensity. Temps remain near or below freezing through Thursday afternoon."

The NWS alerted that "snow will stick immediately on the roadways given the cold temperatures" and that driving conditions will deteriorate quickly.

While the buses should have a relatively easy time getting children to schools, getting them home could be the more daunting endeavor giving the timing of the storm.

At noon, the Providence area will have a 65 percent chance of snowfall rates of a half-inch an hour or greater.

Those chances diminish in communities like Charlestown, South Kingstown, and Narragansett.

The NWS said the snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain in the afternoon with the possibility of some rain along the coast. Precipitation levels will ease in the afternoon around 2 to 3 p.m. across the entire state, but poor driving conditions could linger into the evening commute with an icy glaze topping any snowy mix on the roadways.

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for all the state, except for Block Island, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"Plan on slippery road conditions," the NWS said. "The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning and evening commutes."

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