Boston

Wednesday Storm Will Be a Big Ol' Mess With Snow, Ice and Rain

A developing storm in the Deep South is heading northbound Tuesday night. We'll get tangled up in it Wednesday by mid-morning and continuing throughout the evening.

Timeline, Projections for Messy Midweek Snowstorm

There are no surprises here as we've seen this story line before.

What's impressive with this storm is the wind at about 5,000 feet. It's not an ordinary wind, mind you. This is a cranking, warm wind that is howling at about 90 mph.

This wind will send in a burst of snow at the start of the storm and also cause the temperatures to surge to near 50 degrees...at 5,000 feet up.

Why does that matter to us? Well, because it's what will abruptly change us from snow to rain Wednesday afternoon. That is, if you're along the immediate coast.

Elsewhere, the cold air isn't as easily pushed around, and it will stubbornly cling to communities west and northwest of Boston. The end result will be icing throughout the afternoon and evening. Some will glaze, while others will see the decks, car tops, and sidewalks cake with ice.

As the storm pulls away after midnight tomorrow night, the cold will wrap back around, sending the temperatures back to the 20s. For those that hover near freezing, it's no big deal. But for those that made it into the upper 30s - or near 50 on Cape Cod - untreated roads will turn slick with black ice.

Speaking of the Cape/Islands, much ado about...rain. And wind. Gusts could hit near 50 mph at the height of the storm Wednesday evening, and the rain could reach near one inch, thanks to downpours.

Colder air will shuffle in late week, but it's not bitter and will give in to the milder air by the weekend. Just in time for another storm to roll into town.

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