Good morning! A messy winter storm today with snow developing this morning, changing to sleet, freezing rain and rain. We’ve got another wintry mix coming for the weekend…and maybe another early next week!
Today’s wintry weather definitely won’t live up to the impacts of what occured 47 years ago. Today is the anniversary of the Blizzard of ’78….the king of all snowstorms for Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. The Blizzard actually lasted two days and shut down the state for a week. In our area, 2 to 4 feet of snow fell along and strong winds made it almost impossible to see. 100 people died in our area.
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| | FLIGHT TRACKER
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service, highlighting that slippery roads are anticipated due to accumulating snow, a glaze of ice followed by a chilly rain.
We’ll see snow develop between 6 and 8AM, falling heavily at times mid to late morning before a transition to sleet and freezing and rain.
We’ll see travel conditions deteriorate through the morning. As the snow falls, it will stick on the roads right away as temperatures will be in the 20s. Expect poor road conditions from 9AM through 2PM as the snow falls and changes to sleet and freezing rain. Conditions improve late afternoon, but slippery travel is still possible into the evening commute.
Before that changeover to snow, 1-3″ of snow is expected….best chance for 3″ will be in northern Rhode Island where it will snow longer.
Highs today will be in the mid 30s….winds from the southeast 5-10mph will turn into the northeast late.
| | BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS
Lots of clouds through the night, but we’ll stay dry….some clearing late. Some icy spots are possible, especially north and west of Providence.
A snow shower/flurry in the morning tomorrow; otherwise sunny and windy with highs 35-40.
Saturday will start out dry, but more snow is expected Saturday night.
-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo
T.J. Del Santo ([email protected]) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.
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