Mildness Ends, Snow Begins in RI Thursday

After abnormally mild weather all week, it’s time for reality to set in: Rhode Island is getting snow, beginning late Thursday into Friday.

Friday morning’s commute could be a slippery mess, depending on how the storm plays out.

As it stands, the National Weather Service has ticked up its snowfall projections a few notches over the past few days and now is predicting that a good portion of the state, especially southern and central Rhode Island, could get upwards of 5 inches of snow.

On average, most residents will see 2- to 4-inches of snow, or more, depending on isolated instances of heavy localized snowfall, according to the weather service.

“In addition, this will be a wet snow and the accumulation on trees and power lines could result in isolated power outages,” the weather service said in a Winter Storm Watch issued early Thursday.

On the western fringe of the storm, which looks to be running across northwestern Rhode Island into Massachusetts, there will be a sharp cutoff for snowfall totals. The storm could track more to the east, bringing less snow. But a shift to the west could bring more, the weather service said.

There’s a strong possibility of closings and cancellations on Friday, so be sure to check your inbox for news alerts. If you’re not signed up, click here for your favoriate Patch towns:

• Barrington
• Bristol-Warren
• Coventry
• East Greenwich
• Cranston
• Newport
• Portsmouth
• Tiverton-Little Compton
• Middletown
• Woonsocket
• North Kingstown
• Narragansett-South Kingstown
• East Providence
• Smithfield
• Johnston

Here’s the National Weather Service’s Boston office on Twitter: