'Rain, snow or ice': Messy weekend weather forecast looms for Cape Cod

A bumpy patch of weather is lurking in the Cape Cod weekend forecast that could lead to tricky driving conditions during the Monday morning commute.

According to the National Weather Service forecast discussion for our region, a "potential coastal storm should bring rain, snow or ice late Saturday night into early Monday but amounts are uncertain."

On the Cape, precipitation is likely to begin as rain around the middle of the day on Sunday.

"Eventually, colder air is drawn southward and causes rain to change to snow sometime Sunday night and early Monday morning from north to south, even down to Cape Cod and the Islands," reports the forecast discussion.

Rob Megnia, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office said "a few inches of snow" would likely be the "worst case scenario" for Cape Cod.

"It doesn't look like a blockbuster," said Megnia.

The storm could produce sloppy and slippery road conditions on Monday morning as the work week begins. Lousy road conditions "might be more of a concern than deep snow" on Cape Cod, said Megnia.

Wind gusts on the Cape could top 40 mph on Sunday night and Monday according to the forecast.

Looking ahead at the weather scene for the first week of February, Megnia pointed the way to just-released information from the Climate Prediction Center which shows temperatures are likely to be above normal on Cape Cod for the time frame. Precipitation amounts during the first week of February are leaning toward below normal, according to the Climate Prediction Center.

This is likely good news for those with an aversion to snow. But for Cape Codders yearning to break out the cross-country skis and sleds, it's a bit of a bummer, as the white stuff has been in short supply this winter.

Doc Taylor, retired meteorologist and noted Falmouth weather observer, has measured a total of 3.9 inches of snow this winter, a situation he labeled as "sad" in an email to the Cape Cod Times. Last winter at this time, even less snow had fallen, with a total of 2.8 inches, according to Taylor.

Here is the Hyannis forecast from the National Weather Center.

Saturday: A slight chance of drizzle between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Patchy fog before 4 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 41. North wind 9 to 14 mph.

Saturday night: Cloudy, with a low around 33. North wind 5 to 7 mph.

Sunday: Rain, mainly after 1pm. High near 40. Northeast wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday night: Rain before 9pm, then rain, possibly mixed with snow between 9pm and 10pm, then rain after 10pm. Low around 30. Windy, with a northeast wind 16 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Monday: Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 1pm. High near 36. Windy, with a north wind around 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday night: A chance of snow showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Blustery, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod weather forecast: Coastal storm could bring rain, snow or ice