The snow is expected to last through early Wednesday afternoon:
• Until around 6 a.m.: Widespread snow then a brief break in the precipitation.
• 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Scattered snow showers.
Although the heaviest of the snow should clear out by the morning commute, roads could be slippery with some icy patches, so give yourself some extra travel time.
Snowfall accumulations from this storm will generally range from 1 to 3 inches across New England, especially north of the Mass Pike and west of I-95. Boston should see about an inch or so.
Mountainous portions of Western Mass. and Vermont may see about 4 to 5 inches, with locally higher totals to about 6 inches.
Boston and the southeastern portion of New England could also see pockets of cold rain into the afternoon as temperatures rise above-freezing by then.
There’s a chance for dangerous snow squalls to appear around late morning or early afternoon. Bursts of sudden and intense wind and snow, squalls are winter’s version of thunderstorms with a passing cold front. They form during a process known as from convective lift, meaning surface air is driven high into the atmosphere from more dense air behind a cold front. This can lead to quickly developing snow squalls in which bursts of moderate to heavy snow fall in a very short amount of time, sharply reducing visibility and causing near white-out conditions, making driving dangerous. Squalls are very short-lived, but can leave drivers stunned with the quick onset of intense snowfall.
Make sure you have emergency alerts enabled on your mobile phone so you know when a snow squall warning is issued in your area. If you get an alert, exit the road at the next opportunity and wait until the warning expires.
Also, a few areas across Western Mass., New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine remain under winter weather alerts through Wednesday afternoon.
With a southwesterly flow building after the first wave early this morning, the cold temperatures will rise closer to the low 40s across Greater Boston. This will limit the amount of snow the city sees, with more chances for rain than snow during the second round.
It’ll become windy just like yesterday as the core of the storm passes through, with average speeds between 10 and 15 miles per hour and the chance for gusts to reach 30 miles an hour.
Southern New England: Some scattered snow showers under mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures will build to the 40-degree mark Wednesday afternoon, which might make for cold rain for Boston, Providence, and the South Shore. Snow totals should stay to about a coating to an inch with this storm. Wind will be be gusty at times, with some reaching 20 to 30 mph.
Central and Western Mass.: Very early snow will exit after bringing anywhere from a coating to a few inches of snow. Scattered snow showers will remain across the region into the early afternoon. Also a chance for snow squalls. Highs will eventually reach the upper 30s. As far as the Berkshires go, there may be higher snow totals with temperatures stalling in the low 30s.
Cape and islands: Windy with a few flakes in the early morning. Then scattered showers possible during the late morning and afternoon; some might have a wintry mix with them. Highs to the low 40s with gusty winds in place where the Cape might reach or exceed 40 mph at times.
Northern New England: Widespread snow during the early morning hours, with Maine seeing the steady snow into the mid- to late morning. Trailing scattered snow showers with possible snow squalls during the early afternoon. Highs in the upper 20s and low 30s with more calm winds in place.
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Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.
