NORTHAMPTON — Enjoy mild temperatures and partly sunny skies expected Wednesday, because on Thursday, the region is set to take a pounding in terms of snowfall: 8 to 12 inches, forecasters predicted Tuesday night.
The forecast comes on the heels of a separate storm front that brought a mix of snow and freezing rain Tuesday. A weather advisory for that storm was due to expire at 3 a.m. Wednesday.
During the daytime Wednesday, National Weather Service forecasters predicted highs in the mid-50s with high 40s expected for the area’s higher elevations.
“We’re expecting it to be pretty dry tomorrow,” said Taunton-based meteorologist Bob Thompson. “Some sun, a few clouds mixed in, too. Partly sunny skies during the day.”
And then, more snow.
The region will be under a winter storm watch Wednesday night into Thursday. Temperatures were expected to drop steadily, dipping to the mid- and upper-20s by daybreak Thursday, Thompson said.
Snow was expected to sweep into the region between 2 and 5 a.m. Thursday, just in time for the morning commute. Thompson said heavy snow — perhaps an inch an hour — could fall between 6 and 7 a.m.
“It (the snow) really will be before the start of the morning commute,” Thompson said. “And it looks like it will snow most of the day.”
Those braving the roads in the evening hours should be in the clear, he said, with precipitation transitioning to flurries and tapering off mid-afternoon, Thompson said.
Of course, the storm is still a ways off, and Thompson said the forecasts could change.
The two closest long-term National Weather Service climate sites — in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and Worcester — show snowfall totals this year tracking below normal, Thompson said, but ahead of last year’s totals.
Windsor Locks has received 20.8 inches of snow this winter, below the normal 24.8 inches at this point in the season. But last winter, only 20 inches of snow were recorded between November and March.
Worcester has received 33.3 inches of snow this winter, about 5 inches below normal, Thompson said. Last winter, the city received 37.2 inches from November through March, Thompson said.
“It’s still below normal but it is running a little bit above last year,” he said.
Jack Suntrup can be reached at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.