Winter storm watch for MetroWest, Greater Milford goes in effect at 8 p.m. today

Dan O'Brien, MetroWest Daily News
·3 min read

The weekend shift to daylight saving time must be a sure sign that spring is in the air… right?

In a word, fuhgettaboutit.

Indeed, there may only be a week left of winter, but it appears Old Man Winter is determined to go out with a bang.

For MetroWest and Greater Milford, it’s looking like anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow on Tuesday, along with rain and high winds to boot.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of western Massachusetts, but also including northern Worcester and northwestern Middlesex counties. The warning will be in effect from 8 p.m. today to 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A snow-clearing crew is hard at work in downtown Framingham during a storm in January 2022. With spring just a week away, forecasters are calling for at least half a foot of heavy wet snow and high winds on Tuesday.
A snow-clearing crew is hard at work in downtown Framingham during a storm in January 2022. With spring just a week away, forecasters are calling for at least half a foot of heavy wet snow and high winds on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, winter storm watches that had been issued for interior Massachusetts have expanded eastward, including the remainder of Middlesex County, southern Worcester County and all of Norfolk County.

According to the National Weather Service’s Norton office, this afternoon brings a slight chance of rain, with it becoming a near certainty after 10 p.m.

Behind the snowy scenes:An inside look at how Natick's DPW cleaned up during a blizzard

Forecasters say Tuesday morning brings some snow before 7 a.m., a mix of rain and snow between 7-8 a.m., then snow after 8 a.m., heavy at times. StormTeam 5 meteorologist Mike Wankum explained that conversion to snow is due to colder air that will "sneak its way down closer to the coast" on Tuesday morning.

A total of 2-4 inches of snow is predicted to fall in the region on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. But on top of that will be a northerly wind of 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph, forecasters say.

"That sort of wind power is strong enough when combined with heavy, cement-like snow on our power lines that we could see some power outages, especially in those places that get higher (snow) totals," another StormTeam 5 meteorologist, Kelly Ann Cicalese, told her station, WCVB-TV.

Tuesday night brings more snow to the area, according to the Weather Service. New snow accumulation could range from another 2-4 inches, with winds continuing to gust at 38 mph.

Extra crews to help Eversource

Eversource announced that it’s ready to respond, saying in an email to customers that it's bringing in extra crews to help. Nevertheless, the utility admitted that the type of damage it may face "can take several days to repair.”

"High winds may be sustained throughout the storm, which may topple trees and power lines and cause outages — damage that can take several days to repair," Eversource officials said in their email. "We can’t control the weather, but we can prepare — and help you do the same."

Eversource advised customers to download its free mobile app to view and report outages. The utility can be reached by phone at 800-592-2000.

Things finally calm down Wednesday morning, although the Weather Service said another half-inch or so of snow is possible. And Thursday? Much like Sunday, sunny and 46 degrees.

And by then, spring will be just four days away.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Foot of snow, high winds forecast for west of Boston Tuesday