New storm will bring rain, snow starting Wednesday night

We are once again on the storm watch.

The National Weather Service has much of the area in a Winter Storm Watch. There is also a Coastal Flood Watch.

A powerful ocean storm will spin to our south Wednesday through Friday. Rain and snow will move in starting Wednesday night, although some showers could move in earlier. The track a bit farther south Tuesday means the snow will fall close to the coast, particularly on the North Shore and in Boston.

I think several inches of snow are likely before mixing starts. It may stay all snow west of 128, with higher elevations seeing the biggest snow.

A couple computer models keep hammering 20 inches for Worcester, but with the track being so far south, I don't see that. Still, a foot of new snow not out of the question there.

Snow totals will diminish southeast of Boston, with mostly rain likely on Cape Cod and the Islands. The rain/snow line may set up near I-95 from Boston to Providence, but those lines always move a bit back and forth.

This storm is still 24 hours away from moving in as I write this. My best snow estimates are posted here, but stay tuned for any changes as the true track evolves, not just computer projections.

No matter how much rain or snow you get, you will certainly feel the strong winds. Gusts over 60 mph are possible in southeastern Mass. Those winds will send large waves, 20 feet or more, toward the east-facing coastline. There will be tremendous beach erosion Thursday morning through Friday afternoon. There will likely be flooding at times of high tide. The first one is around 6:45 a.m. Thursday. High tides are also posted on this site.

This is a strong storm and any deviation in the track will have large implications. We'll keep updating as we see it.

Cox Media Group