The northeast is prepping for snow on Saturday, with bitter arctic cold to follow by Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for the areas of Boston, Worcester, Providence and Manchester, New Hampshire, with a winter storm watch issued for Essex County. And a cold weather advisory is in place for Sunday — the city of Boston issued a cold emergency.
Friday is a transitional day, as we get light snow to flurries due to ocean effect offshore and along the coast through the day. Temps will be in the 20s to near 30, with cloudy skies for everyone in New England. Tonight’s lows drop to the teens and 20s, with incoming snow out in western New England.
Saturday snow
The First Alert Weather Team has issued a First Alert for Saturday’s snow. The updated snow map (issued Friday at 11am) shows an increase in totals at the coastline. This is due to a Norlun trough and ocean effect that typically enhances lift and therefore, snowfall.
Scattered snow showers will start up in western New England Friday night, moving into Boston by sunrise Saturday. The heaviest snowfall rates seem to develop around midday Saturday and from the New Hampshire coast, then spinning down into the south shore by mid afternoon through Saturday evening.
The scattered snow showers taper inland, while the mountains see several inches of snow due to upslope development Saturday evening. Lingering outer Cape Cod snow showers will be around for Saturday night with a gusty northwest breeze. Stay tuned to snow map adjustments as the system develops.
Dangerous cold Sunday
Another First Alert is on for Sunday as we see the coldest temperatures and wind chills of this season. Extreme Cold Warnings and Advisories are up for Saturday night through Sunday midday. Wind chills will be -20 to -30 degrees as actual lows drop to around zero. The wind remains strong 30-40 mph gusts from the northwest Sunday morning, slowly subsiding to 20 mph gusts at night.
The cold means it is a great day to stay inside and watch all the Patriots Super Bowl coverage on NBC10 Boston. The big game will be warm and in the 60s by kickoff out in California.
10-day outlook
The cold remains for Monday as highs will be in the teens to 20s with some sun. Slowly, we see milder air returning midweek as highs reach the mid 30s…