Forecasters: Storm will gain strength from ocean, could drop a foot of snow on northern RI

PROVIDENCE − A winter storm watch has been issued for Rhode Island's Providence and Kent counties for a nor'easter that could drop up to 12 inches of snow on the northwestern part of the state this weekend.

The watch will go into effect Saturday afternoon and continue through late Sunday night, the weather service says.

The northwestern part of the state could get 8 to 12 inches of snow, while the middle section could see 6 to 8 inches, according to the weather service.

"Travel could be very difficult," the weather service says. "Snow loading from heavy wet snow may lead to power outages."

Wind gusts of 40 mph are expected.

Questions linger about areas to the south and east, where the storm could produce rain due to warmer air. As of Friday morning, the weather service had not issued watches for Washington, Newport or Bristol counties.

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"There remains uncertainty in the exact track and intensity of the winter storm, therefore expect changes to later forecasts," the weather service says.

Where and when the heaviest snowfall will occur

The big storm will affect much of the Northeast and will gain strength and moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, according to commercial forecasting service AccuWeather.

The storm "will begin to unload snow at a heavy and steady rate from northeastern Pennsylvania to the middle and lower part of the Hudson Valley to central and southern New England," AccuWeather says.

"Hourly snowfall rates in this zone may exceed an inch per hour, which can overwhelm city and highway departments," AccuWeather says. "Motorists on the roads during the height of the storm may be at risk of becoming stuck or stranded."

How the Department of Transportation is preparing for the storm

The state Department of Transportation and electric utility Rhode Island Energy are monitoring forecasts and preparing to deal with the impacts of the storm.

"We are closely monitoring weather forecasts and will call in our crews 3-4 hours before the expected start time of the storm to pre-treat the roads and load trucks," said Charles St. Martin, a DOT spokesman.

With 168 state trucks and another 260 private contractors' trucks available this winter, the DOT is "well prepared for any storm this season," St. Martin said. The DOT has been "successful" in recruiting drivers for the state fleet and signing up private vendors, but hires throughout the season. Any company that would like to plow for the state can apply at www.ridot.net/winter, St. Martin said.

The state is also fully stocked with salt, 65,000 tons, he said.

"While the timing of the storm is on the weekend when [fewer] people are traveling compared to weekdays, we still encourage drivers to plan ahead and reduce their speed if they need to travel during the storm," St. Martin said.

Rhode Island Energy boosts staffing ahead of storm

Rhode Island Energy is also encouraging people to stay off the roads.

"If there’s a significant amount of heavy, wet snow we could see outages; with icy roads and poor visibility there may also be some (motor vehicle accidents) that can take down poles and cause outages," said Ted Kresse, a Rhode Island Energy spokesman.

Rhode Island Energy's website has tips on preparing for a winter storm.

"We are putting plans in place to have additional staffing ready for the storm," Kresse said. "This will include additional line and tree workers in the field and back office personnel working Saturday evening and throughout the day on Sunday."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Weather: Winter storm watch issued for weekend nor'easter